The End Run
by Celsius009
Summary: No one knows what lies beyond the Omega 4 relay. The most the crew can do is prepare for the unexpected and rely on each other to survive. Novelization of the Suicide Mission.
1. The Calm before the Storm

Chapter I: The Calm before the Storm

The silence of the cargo hold in the Normandy was broken by a rhythmic thumping of a heavy bag as a man threw everything he had into its rough leather skin. Shepard had lost track of time–he couldn't sleep, as usual. People who saw what he did in their lifetimes never did.

Working out caused a blood rush that made sleep impossible for several hours after, and training had a mental stimulus for Shepard that meant he wouldn't be sleeping for some time after that. Didn't matter, he might not even be alive tomorrow. Who opted to spend part of their last few hours sleeping? This took his mind off things…

His calloused knuckles had been raw not long after the workout began and were now leaving red stains on the bag's hide with every punch. The hits echoing around the empty cargo hold were beginning to sound sloppy, like someone beating a wet sponge. Shepard didn't notice.

He stopped, panting and drawing a wrapped hand across his forehead to wipe the sweat from his brow. In the momentary pause his mind began wandering back to the mission at hand. The collectors.

Did they have a chance? His team was ready, he had no doubt in his mind about that. He knew they'd all joined for different reasons, but their resolve for the mission was unquestionable. As long as one member still drew breath, the collectors would die tonight.

He had no idea what time it was but decided he should spend the rest of the journey reflecting on his life. He doubted Cerberus would spend the money to rebuild him again.

Shepard unwrapped his hands as he made his way over to his bag. He examined them, stoically peeling off strips of skin that hung in bloody tatters and tossing them aside. On his way to the elevator he applied dabs of medigel from his bag to the damaged knuckles. He grimaced as a low hissing was heard, the open areas of red flesh instantly healing with a numbing sensation.

He clenched a fist before him. One way or another, this ended tonight.

* * *

A desk flew against the wall with a loud bang. Jack was bored and hated waiting…

_Hated_ waiting.

She just wished this would get started already. Not over with, because then all the fun would be gone, but started. Joker was taking forever to take them in and she was beginning to think it was all bullshit.

"What's the big deal, you fly in, we get there, and we blow shit up!" She raged to no one in her empty deck.

No one answering made her angrier and she lifted the desk again with biotics, sending half one direction and half in another.

The final battle didn't scare her. She lived through Cerberus testing, Purgatory, and half a dozen certain-death situations with Shepard. This mission wouldn't kill her and she wondered why it bothered with the waiting. The _waiting_!

Everyone else was all mopey about possibly dying, the crew being taken, all that bullshit. Way she figured: the strong enough would make it through, the others wouldn't–and she was strong enough. She put her money on Zaeed, Grunt, Garrus, and maybe that one assassin who stayed above deck. She hoped the Cerberus bitch would too but she wouldn't hold her breath. As long as Cheerleader was dead Jack wasn't picky.

And of course Shepard. As much as she'd been through, he'd doubled. But he was too idealistic. Not enough self preservation. If it came down to it, she knew he'd sacrifice himself to complete the mission.

'_Idiot.'_

But whatever. It brought her chances of surviving up if the collectors were distracted with him, and he would be a big distraction. Yeah, she'd gotten to know him. He seemed to be the one guy she'd met who didn't have any ideas of using her, and she couldn't decide if that made her feel special or angry. She settled for the latter, as usual.

She'd asked him multiple times if he just wanted to fuck. But every time he just refused, saying that's not at all what he wanted. Something about "Friends," "blah blah blah," "crap crap crap."

Whatever. If he was too stupid to know what he wanted it wasn't her problem. Sure, she'd be his friend. But after this was over and done with she would take what she could and disappear. Maybe take the ship too, she hadn't decided yet. But right now all she could do was… Wait.

"Fuck!"

* * *

Heavy footfalls were heard as a heavy krogan paced around his storage room. Grunt hadn't killed anything in a while, he was beginning to itch. He couldn't wait for this battle, it promised to yield their toughest enemies yet, fighting on their own turf, giving everything they had to stop Shepard and his team.

It meant that much more when they would be crushed beneath his boot. He couldn't wait to see what would happen. One way or another, this would be the fight of his few weeks-long life. He felt blessed, other races–even other krogan–had to wait entire lifetimes before they saw action like he had. He wasn't even one year old and was already being pitted against the galaxy's most deadly.

But all he could do now was wait around. It wasn't his favorite pastime, but one he accepted as being part of a long-lived warrior race. He would wait as long as he needed to, he knew Shepard always delivered strong enemies.

A thought occurred to him then. Once the collectors were destroyed, didn't that make Shepard the strongest thing in the galaxy?

"The honor… Having the strongest warrior as my battlemaster." Grunt muttered. Truly, he was blessed.

"Think being the strong_est_ warrior would have more honor to it."

Grunt looked up from the ground to see Zaeed standing against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Just my opinion." The mercenary added in a hoarse grunt.

"What do you want?" Grunt asked bluntly. Shepard was the only human he came into regular contact with and he was a little rough when it came to other people.

"Did you know we have a bar up-deck?" Zaeed asked, thumb pointing at the ceiling. Grunt shrugged blankly, wondering what the point of this visit was. Zaeed continued, returning the arm under his elbow, "Was headed up there myself, didn't know if you wanted to join."

Grunt wasn't used to socializing outside mess but made a shrugging motion and walked towards the door. "Sure, got nothing better to do. You ever hear of rynchol?"

Zaeed sounded incredulous. "That pisswater? Jeezus, I'll show you what real men drink…"

Grunt was now very interested and followed the man towards the elevator.

* * *

The soft patter of careful footfalls timed in flurries of steps around the floor in the life support room. A half-step forward, ending in a solar plexus uppercut using the forward hand's second knuckles as a weapon. The back foot sweeps behind the front, back arm parrying the flail of the invisible target's right arm around their head, bending them double. The weight drops, giving the fore-most elbow power as it descends into the kidney, disabling all motion for a half second.

A half second is all an assassin needs as he steps away, while doing so mimicking a swift twist of the neck.

Thane Krios dropped his weight behind him, sitting himself in the chair from where his motions began. He turned back towards the window where he spent much of his time observing the flowing energies of the mass effect core. It looked like visions of the afterlife, and he occasionally saw shapes in the wisps that floated around the spherical room. His mind wandered back to what it always did since his diagnosis.

He sat in silence for several minutes. He contemplated many things, but there really was never anything that prepared one for death. So many beliefs… Some say his soul would be judged. Others that it would pass to the spirit realm and rejoin with all those he'd lost in this life.

But what if… None of that happened? What if it really was all just a cycle of nature? An organic being is born, lives its life according to the principles that govern all living things: consume and reproduce–and then die. There is no spirit, no afterlife. After this body failed there would be nothing. Forever.

That was what scared him. Forever was… Eternal. There was nothingness, forever. He ceased to exist, and all that he was became history to others. When that came to mind an image of a skull surfaced, bare and forgotten, lying in the sands of some nameless desert. Whatever the creature had been in life, this was all that remained now. That's all it would ever be, on any spiritual plane. Forever.

Thane realized his body was frozen with fear and he calmed himself, breathing deeply. He bowed his head, bringing his hands to his eyes to wipe away moisture. It wasn't Death who haunted him. It was Time.

He was scared, he wouldn't lie... In his distracted state he didn't notice himself slipping into a memory.

"_Thane, no one knows what comes after this." She whispers, gesturing to the room around them. "All we can do is enjoy the time we _do_ have, that we _are_ certain exists… Now." She pulls him towards her, sunset-colored eyes inviting a kiss…_

Thane cleared the memory with a shake of his head. He stood, making a decision. He'd spent too much of his life alone already. It was never too late to make friends.

If Shepard had taught him one thing during their time together it was that huge things could change in a short instant. Assuming he survived the mission, he had almost a year to change things.

* * *

Images from a dozen video feeds located around the ship cycled over the screen: various subjects spending what was likely to be their last hours in this universe, unknowing of the azure eyes watching them through a dozen hidden lenses.

A drell danced around a room alone, evading an opponent's attack while delivering killing blows within a second of one another. He sat down, resumed the position she always saw him in, and slipped into thought once more.

The guilty feeling of privacy invasion never stuck long with Miranda, but she was more interested in what people were doing with their time. Frankly she thought time would be better spent preparing for a mission rather than contemplating the results of its failure.

An asari sat in mediation, ball of pure biotic energy flickering between her hands. Fascinating though asari were, watching this one grew old quickly.

She admired the Justicar's patience, then realized she'd had countless lifetimes to master it. The amount of wisdom hidden away in that one mind was incredible. She almost felt it was selfish of Samara to keep it all to herself. If this was to be someone's last hour alive, wouldn't they want to at least impart _something_ to show the universe that they had at least existed?

But the calm on her ageless face was as serene as ever. She was at peace. However turbulent the galaxy around her would become, she would live, fight, and die at peace.

Miranda exhaled, envious of Samara's ability to have no regrets. '_Or at least having come to terms with them_…' she thought to herself, next feed displaying the cargo hold of the Normandy where an exceptionally muscled man was waiting by the elevator door. He'd taken a seat on a crate beside the lift, clearly having been there for some time.

But it appeared he was in no hurry. The light signified the elevator was in fact coming, eventually, and that seemed to be enough for Shepard. He sat in thought, thoughtful eyes concentrated on something only he could see.

Miranda shook her head slowly. She wasn't perfect, she was human. But she was smarter, stronger, faster, more attractive, better trained, confident… She sighed, stopping herself. Lists of logical reasoning were void when Shepard was concerned. He really was a person built around the impossible, the unfeasible. He wanted something else, something she didn't have. And in addition to those other qualities, he had to be _moral_ to top everything off.

"Impossible…" she muttered in exasperation, leaning back and switching off the monitors. She was done watching others. She began wondering why this mission was causing her to over-think everything, be frustrated over everything. She realized that it was because she had never before been faced with her own death.

It'd never occurred to her that she would die on a mission. All her life she was exceptional at everything, the rules of life never applied to her. But after seeing Shepard's own reservations about the mission, Shepard with his iron resolve and steadfast determination, she began having doubts. Not that the mission would fail–she would give everything she could to make it succeed–but that all of them would make it. She'd accepted not everyone would, but she never thought she wouldn't…

Did she have regrets?

Would she be remembered at all in history? She'd done great things, but nothing that would ever be attributed to her memory. Even within Cerberus her loss would mean nothing more than an operative vacancy. She'd put her life into humanity, but this one mission surpassed anything she'd ever done. On a whole her time almost felt meaningless…

A low knock was heard, interrupting her thoughts.

Miranda looked up from her desk, making sure her face was its usual stern-passive expression. Who knocked nowadays?

After a moment the doors slid open, revealing that Jacob Taylor knocked nowadays. "Hey." He said simply.

He had his arms crossed and was half leaning against the doorframe, keeping his cool, but Miranda knew him better than that. Under the calm façade his heart was beating a mile a minute. "Can I help you with something, Jacob?" she asked, pretending to pull her hands from her hands away from work and gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. She really hoped this wouldn't be as awkward as what his appearance was suggesting.

"You don't have to fake working, Miranda." Jacob said, allowing a small smile. He could tell when she was actually working because she didn't stop when he entered the room. "Did you know we have a bar in the lounge?" he asked, gesturing over his shoulder with an incredulous look on his face. "We've been on this ship for weeks and I've never been through that one door."

Miranda stared at him. Truthfully she couldn't remember it being in the initial ship design.

"Anyway I didn't know if you wanted to have a drink before we hit the collectors. We've got some time, and your weapons aren't getting any cleaner than that…" Jacob said, noting her thoroughly polished pistol lying in one of the extra chairs by the window.

She watched him in silence. Sighing, she stood and made her way around the computer separating them. If it was to be her last few hours she wasn't going to spend it alone behind a desk filing some report.

* * *

Vials clinked and bottles were knocked dangerously close to the edges of counters as a salarian scurried around his lab, slapping labels and instructions on everything.

There was so much to do–too much to do!

Mordin regretted leaving so much unfinished with his life. It wasn't his memory that concerned him, after the special tasks group he'd come to terms with never being recognized for his actions. It was the waste! So much wasted if all the projects he was currently multitasking were stopped.

He'd almost finished this test here, but the specimen needed time to grow. Time! Too little of it, Mordin didn't have time. He never had time, naturally, but now moreso!

A thousand thoughts ran through his brain as he pulled labels from a drawer to stick on a rack of Petri dishes. Specific instructions on how to complete this experiment here and what to do with the data. How to properly dispose of that research there if results A, B and F were reached, or how to move onto the next tests, including what the next tests were and how to perform them if results C or K somehow came to fruition, and all the possibilities in between. The most he could hope for was that whoever took over his lab wasn't a simpleton and could pass on his work to someone who could complete it.

The sound of breaking glass was heard and he glanced down to see one bottle had shattered, corrosive contents eating away at the flooring. He resumed his frantic efforts around the lab–had to cut losses, no time for cleanup.

He paused at the end of walking to the end of his lab table, realizing how many individual experiments revolved around the results of that one shattered trial. Making a mental list he walked backwards from the end of the desk, stripping labels from the equipment and bottles affected. He reached the other end, then realized all they needed was that one trial again–he could leave instructions on how to do that. He worked in reverse, moving forward and putting the labels back in their respective locations.

"No, wait... Timed results vary." he thought aloud to himself, beginning to walk backwards again to recover the labels once more.

The door to the lab slid open and a Geth walked in.

"Synthetic, do you need something?" Mordin asked out of politeness, not spending more than a glance to confirm it was Legion so to continue working.

Legion's optic lens focused in and out on several points of interest. Mordin's lab looked like it'd just hosted krogan gladiator competitions. Finally it focused on Mordin, still darting here and there, sidestepping a growing hole in the floor. "EDI asked for my assistance in the laboratory."

"Assistance?" Mordin repeated, rifling through a drawer, slamming it closed and opening a new one. "No, no assistance necessary. Just compiling life's work in few hours. Short time frame–no time to explain what needs to be done, faster to do myself."

"Ship-AI EDI has downloaded all experiment data to this platform's memory banks. It is ready to assist in whatever way it can." Legion said, walking to the table and starting to move vials.

Mordin was about to protest when he realized that they had been completely prioritized based on time-sensitivity. Legion moved with machine efficiency, in a few seconds organizing into precise rows what would have taken an organic several minutes to do. "Permission to share observation, Mordin-scientist?" Without waiting for a response it continued, "It is unknown what we will encounter after passing through the Omega 4 relay. Given previous attempts made by Geth and organics, statistical-probability of Normandy returning intact is zero-percent. It is uncertain if Reaper IFF will alter chance of success."

Mordin stopped working, never having made that very simple realization.

"Additionally, given the location of the laboratory if the ship were to sustain damage there would be a twenty-three percent chance it would be affected." Legion finished, gesturing to the window.

Mordin looked around the laboratory, weighing odds of his research surviving versus its value in time. He looked back to Legion, "What should we do then?"

Legion stood in silence, ocular lens adjusting.

Mordin cleared his throat, unsure of what to do with the remainder of his time. Legion's lens focused back on the mess.

"You sort, I'll finish the labels." Mordin said, stepping back into motion as though he hadn't stopped, Legion following suit.

Mordin's life was defined by his work. It was what he loved. It was how he lived, and it was how he would die.

* * *

"You can't keep living in the past... Once you've learned from a mistake you take the knowledge and leave the memory behind you. Travel light, even in the mind! It lets you focus better."

A small smile broke out under the shadow of a hood, its owner watching one of her first memories with Kenji. That was the first things he taught her, and was far from the last. She backed out of her current memory and moved to another snapshot, wondering which one she should relive next.

But before she could choose she heard noise from the real world, a door sliding open and two sets of heavy footsteps coming through.

"Hey, what–?" she asked in her loud whisper, sitting up from the couch and looking around with her mind still in the graybox. She kept trying to see who had entered but the memories floating around her blocked her vision. She let out a frustrated grunt and tore the graybox off her head. Nobody visited her but Shepard, and unless he'd gained seven-hundred pounds and an extra pair of feet this wasn't him.

"Don't get up princess we're just here for the bar." Zaeed's hoarse sneer came as the man entered into focus. "We'll try to keep it down for you, just go back to your memory-box."

Kasumi was about to do just that, lying back and flipping the graybox back on when the second voice interrupted her thoughts. "So you're a mercenary, tell me a story of the best fight you've ever had." Grunt's deep baritone demanded.

"Ha!" Zaeed chuckled, clinking glasses together loudly. "Interested in mercenary work, are you?"

Kasumi rolled her eyes, not able to concentrate on the memories with all the external noise. The graybox only took the mind and eyes someplace else, it didn't remove the physical body from its surroundings. She turned away on her side, trying her best to drown out the noise and concentrate on the memories.

Her efforts were interrupted as the door slid open again, letting another two set of footsteps in. This time she didn't need to look to know the voices of the two Cerberus operatives on the team.

"Actually I recall it was _you_ that time Jacob." Miranda said with a hint of sarcasm to her voice. "Anyway, you shouldn't be trying to top that now. We only have a few hours before the mission and you should be somewhat sober."

"Yeah yeah, I know my limits." Jacob responded in a tone of someone answering their nagging mom.

Kasumi had been very happy with her room arrangements until now. She kept to the quiet, it never occurred to her the bar would suddenly become the most popular room in the ship. All she wanted was to remember the time of her life when she truly lived.

The risks of this job didn't scare her. She wasn't suicidal but if the worst outcome of all this would be she could be with Kenji again, there was no downside to this mission.

She rose, picking up the box and silently made her way to the door.

"C'mon, people still believe that? That's a stereotype and it died out years ago." Jacob said exasperatedly, leaning back in his barstool. He turned, "Talk to Kasumi if you want something stol–Oh she's gone…" the door's closing finalizing his words. "See? Didn't even hear her go did you?"

"Imagine you don't make many friends in her line of work." Miranda commented, folding her arms and looking disapprovingly of the drink Zaeed had just placed before her.

"Some people," the mercenary grunted, reaching over and taking the glass from Miranda after seeing she wouldn't touch it, "Will live their entire lives thinking about their past, and never see the present." He downed the drink in one motion. "Think that if they could somehow go back and relive it, they could fix their mistakes. Make it better." He smiled grimly, scarred mouth disfiguring, "The rest of us just know we'd just make different mistakes and make it worse."

"That supposed to be a reason to stop caring about the past?" Jacob asked, staring into his drink. "If we don't know where we came from how do we know where we're going?"

Zaeed chuckled. An unnatural sound, like metal shears scraping against one another. "If you believe that 'everyone has a purpose' and all that crap. If you live in reality you know that not one bloody thing you do with your life will matter in a few short years. The universe doesn't give a rat's ass where you came from, and whatever you plan on your future you can bet your own ass it isn't going to happen the way you want. The present is all you can be sure about." He poured himself another glass of the nearest bottle. "So drink up."

"I'll drink to that." Grunt added, doing so.

"You're on a mission to save humanity, led by the only man capable of doing it." Miranda stated incredulously, staring at the mercenary. "How can you say what he's doing doesn't matter?"

"Shepard isn't special; anyone who can pull a trigger and bat their eyelashes can do what he does." Zaeed scoffed. He raised a hand to quell the immediate response, "The _point_ is that if it wasn't Shepard it would be somebody else. People don't matter, and neither will this when the day is done. I took this job because it pays well–something I can enjoy right _now_; the only thing we're doing tonight is turning Hell into 'standing-room only'. The proof is in the actions, get me?"

"It's proof you believe what you say." Jacob muttered, finally taking a sip from his drink. "Which is more than most can."

Silence descended on the group, occasionally broken by clinking glass.

* * *

Calibrations, calibrations, calibrations… The numbers weren't changing and the Normandy wasn't getting any more accurate. Garrus would finally have to accept that nothing else could be done to prepare for the final battle. The ship was ready, the team was eager. He just had to make sure he wouldn't let anyone down. Not again…

He turned from overseeing the weapon systems and walked towards the door. It slid open and he nearly knocked into the considerably smaller form of Kasumi.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, moving to the side before they collided. "Sorry, just trying to find a quiet spot on the ship…"

"Try this room, no one goes in there. Perfect for thinking." Garrus said, stepping to the side of the walkway to allow her to pass.

"Thanks." She muttered, bowing her head and going inside. Garrus watched the door close behind her and continued past the sleeper pods, wondering where he was going. He had nowhere to be and no one to talk to. All he could do was mentally ready himself to prove he could do this. Ever since his days as Archangel he'd watched Shepard intently, made note of his every action, inflection, anything that set him apart from other leaders.

Something he never understood was how Shepard stayed Shepard–dedicated and unyielding. No matter what depths he had to plunge to expunge corruption, what darkness he had to wander to find answers, he always came back out untarnished. Whatever evil he faced, he did so head-on and walked away as pure as he'd started. He was kind, forgiving, honest and strong, despite the horrors inflicted upon him throughout his life. Death itself hadn't changed him; he remained the stalwart warrior he'd always been. Garrus wished he could be just like him, but knew he couldn't.

It was Shepard who stayed Garrus' hand on more than one occasion, and Garrus thought long after each time if it had truly been the best course of action. He'd stayed awake for hours at night wondering if things should have gone differently.

If things should have gone differently…

Was it possible that he just simply wasn't, and would never be Shepard? As soon as Shepard left his life would he return to his norm of making bad decisions and making others pay the price? Would he always struggle between right and wrong?

He slowly walked around the side of the elevator thinking to himself when another thought hit him.

Was that reason to quit trying?

No he wasn't Shepard, and he may never come close for that matter. But he would always have something to strive for. Shepard had taught him you can't help people by doing things the wrong way–that just makes a whole new batch of people you need to help. Shepard had taught him a lot of things.

"Excuse me…" Garrus looked and saw Thane passing behind him. The assassin was polite, Thane probably could have gone by without Garrus even knowing of his presence. The drell walked to the end of the hall and entered the observation deck.

Garrus went back to his thoughts.

After this mission was over he needed to thank Shepard for everything. He paused by the elevator.

'_On the other hand, why wait?'_ he thought as he punched the button. If not here: where; if not now: when, right? After about a minute the door opened.

Garrus took a step forward and then two steps back with a startled "Ah," hit by the unexpected sight of Shepard and Tali standing very close to one another in a way that suggested a little more than intimacy. It took a moment for both parties to react to the other, then everyone moved at once. Tali stepped away from Shepard and looked away, blush almost visible through her mask; Garrus tried to look like he hadn't seen anything, becoming very interested in the collar of his armor. Shepard cleared his throat smiling and rubbing the back of his neck. "Going up or down?"

"Oh," Garrus said, mouth pulling into a lopsided smile, "I actually just bumped this button on my way to… Do something else." It was his turn to look away awkwardly and hold back a grin. He didn't think now was the appropriate time to thank Shepard for all his worldly teachings and words.

"I see." Shepard remarked, looking away as well. Tali was still apparently fascinated by a spot on the wall.

"I'll just... Ahem, go do that thing." Garrus said, stepping away from the elevator and following Thane's direction. "Have fun." He added, grinning openly now that he wasn't facing them and doing a fairly good job of holding back amusement. _'More than one way to blow off steam…'_

To say Garrus was taken by surprise would be an understatement. He thought he was pretty good at picking up on things but this was unexpected. As far as he could tell there hadn't been any signs or hints or anything. Hell, he didn't even know Shepard was into relationships, Garrus figured he just kicked ass all the time.

But good for him. Garrus was pleased Shepard wasn't spending his time before the mission alone, and after it was over he would have something to look forward to.

Garrus hadn't realized he now stood at the entrance to the observation deck until the doors slid open, revealing Samara and Thane sitting side by side facing the window and looking out into the void of space. The room was silent save the light breathing of both individuals sitting in mediation.

He somehow felt he was interrupting something again and was about to take a step back when Samara called out to him. "Join us, turian. There's no time to reflect like the present."

Garrus hesitated, then took a step towards them. "I guess not…"

He took a seat on the other side of the Justicar, adjusting himself on his knees to get comfortable.

"It is a grounding experience. Everyone should devote a part of their day to contemplate the universe around them." Samara spoke calmly, biotic ball of energy pulsating before her. "What is right. What is wrong. What have we done in our lives. What have we yet to do."

"And how much time we have left to do it." Thane finished from her other side.

"Acknowledge that we've all made mistakes in our past, and that we are ever learning." Samara continued, smiling faintly. "Be grateful for the lessons we've learned and the guidance others have given us, and realize it has been the foundation for who we are today."

"Sounds like a good place to start…" Garrus muttered, trying to think of where to begin starting.

"Just clear your mind… And let the thoughts come to you." Samara said, adjusting her posture. Her white eyes closed, the energy ball wisped into nothingness, and silence once again filled the room.

* * *

Tali looked up from her monitor with an expression of exasperation after hearing another desk being thrown around the bottom deck, bouncing around with distractingly loud crashes that she assumed was music to Jack's ears. After finally getting used to the silence of the Normandy again excess noise became annoying more than anything else.

She let her hands fall from the holo-keyboard and it disappeared. She was done with work. Picking up the slack the abducted engineers had left she'd finished all the maintenance the Normandy would need to get to the collectors. She figured it wouldn't matter much after that. They'd either survive and have time to make repairs or die and have other things to worry about.

Anyway, there was something else she had planned with her remaining time before the mission. A promise she was looking forward to fulfilling.

She walked out of the engineering deck. She passed the stairs where an audible "Fuck!" could be heard from below and continued into the main hall. She came to the long window overlooking the cargo hold, pacing beside it and wondering how she should best approach Shepard. Just the thought made her nervous and embarrassed. What if he'd changed his mind?

There was a galaxy of women out there, and Shepard was… Shepard! _The_ Commander Shepard. She was just… Tali. Was she being selfish, keeping him from someone else more deserving? There were a lot of things other women could offer him, things she could never do. Was she being selfish in keeping _him_ from being with someone else?

It took her a moment to realize that right out the window she could see Shepard walking towards the elevator below her, doing something with his hands. She took a deep breath, aware of how hard her heart was beating at the prospect of talking to him.

"Don't stare too long, he'll think you have a thing for him."

Tali jumped at the voice and turned to see Zaeed and Grunt standing by the elevator. In her preoccupied state she hadn't noticed them. She wanted to retort with something to wipe the smug look off Zaeed's face but her brain was still buzzing and she couldn't think of anything, so she turned away and faced the windows again.

Zaeed smirked as the elevator opened and he disappeared inside, Grunt following. Tali looked back to see Shepard but he'd moved out of the range of her vision. All she could do now was think about what to say…

About a minute passed and the slowest elevator in the universe could finally be heard moving past her floor to the cargo hold. She waited another few seconds to be sure it'd gone by, then pressed the button.

Almost a full minute later the doors opened, revealing a sweaty and entirely distracting Shepard. He smiled when he saw her, "Tali."

Feeling the heat rise in her face she stammered back "H-Hey Shepard." She stood there for a moment, forgetting everything she'd mentally practiced to say.

"Are you… Going up?" Shepard asked, extending a muscled arm to halt the closing doors.

She nodded wordlessly and stepped in the elevator, trying her hardest not to be caught staring.

The doors closed and they stood in silence. Tali could feel his gaze on her and felt her heart pounding hard again. How were you supposed to just _talk_ about this? She jumped when she heard his voice. "Which floor?"

She glanced over and saw his hand hovering over the floor buttons, looking at her for a response.

"Where are you going?" Tali asked. She only got in the elevator to be wherever he was…

Shepard chuckled and used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Well my quarters, I guess. I need to shower and… Think." His eyes looked distant for a moment before focusing on her again. "But that's at the top. What about you?"

"I…" Tali began, playing with her hands. "I've… taken some things to bolster my immune system." She chanced a glance his way but the intensity of his eyes caused her to look away. "I've minimized the risk of being… Out of the suit. But I'm still nervous about… About…" She trailed off, trying to keep her thoughts on track. Now that she was actually here with him it was a lot harder than she'd expected it to be. "I'm talking too much again. I just… Want this to work. I want to make sure this is what you want, too…"

She let silence fill the air before looking back at him. He still stood by the panel, watching her. Without breaking eye contact he pressed the top floor button.

"I told you, Tali. I don't want anyone else." He moved towards her and dropped his workout bag. He embraced her and held her close. "I want you."

She closed her eyes and tentatively moved her hands up his arms. Her fingers were slightly shaky but feeling him somehow calmed her. They moved over his biceps and onto his hard shoulders. She breathed in his scent, resting her head against his neck.

This was Shepard. If he said he wanted her and only her, he meant it. To think otherwise was to question his character, and she trusted him absolutely.

All reservations had passed now and the only thing she was flustered about was how quickly she could get this suit off.

Her grip on his shoulders tightened and she pressed her head into his. She was pleased to feel his arms around her tightening, fingers pressing into the small of her back. Motions were becoming forceful and instinctive. She wished like hell this mask was off and she could just–

"Ah,"

Tali and Shepard broke for a moment to see Garrus standing in front of the open elevator. It took a second but Tali came to her senses and stepped away from Shepard to look at a spot on the wall, her face burning. It was only after a break in passion was reached that made one stop and realize what they were doing; and given it was Tali's first time acting this way it made for an embarrassing experience.

"Going up or down?" Shepard asked Garrus, smiling. It was clear nothing needed to be said for Garrus to know he'd interrupted something.

"Oh, I actually just bumped this button on my way to…" Garrus struggled with himself for a moment to conjure up an imaginary task that needed doing. "Do something else."

"I see." Shepard acknowledged, not adding to the conversation to ensure its quick conclusion.

"I'll just…" Garrus cleared his throat, "Go do that thing." He stepped away and walked towards the observation deck, calling "Have fun." over his shoulder as he did so and doing a fairly poor job of holding back amusement.

Shepard said nothing as the doors closed again. A low hiss drew his attention back to Tali to see her faced away, slowly removing her mask.

It was his turn to feel his heart thumping hard. "…Tali?"

She started to turn, pausing for a moment, then finished. She was fully facing him now, a look of apprehension on her face.

Shepard had made a lot of decisions in his time. He'd saved entire colonies, wiped out small armies, survived everything the galaxy threw at him. But this was, by far, the single best decision he'd ever made in his entire life.

Something about his thoughts must have shown on his face because Tali's hesitation vanished. She moved on him quickly, pushing him against the elevator wall and bringing his head down to hers. Their lips met in an enveloping kiss, Tali tilting her head to better explore his mouth. This was her first kiss, her first time feeling another person skin to skin. The warmth of his lips teased her, reminding she wasn't even out of her suit yet. It exhilarated her.

The sound of the doors slid open again and Shepard caught her hands in his, pushing himself off the wall and her backwards while minimizing distance between them. He kicked his bag into the cabin entryway and stooped to delicately scoop up the mask before standing and meeting her again, offhandedly placing the mask on some nearby boxes. He pushed her against the wall beside the door and pulled back her hood, kissing the exposed part of her neck.

She breathed in deeply through her nose, enjoying his scent without the use of an air filter. The feel of his lips lightly on her neck making her wonder why it'd taken her so long to tell him how she felt. If she ever had a hint it would feel this good she would have done it two years ago. She brought one leg up alongside his hip, enjoying the feel of him running a hand along her thigh even through the suit.

But the constant teasing was getting to her. She needed to feel what it was like to be with him, without the damn suit between them.

Her right hand abandoned squeezing his shoulder long enough to punch the door panel. Hearing it open she flipped with him along the wall so his back was now facing the open door. She pushed him in with a smile.

Shepard stripped off his shirt quickly, but Tali shook her head slightly when he moved to help her with hers. "Sorry, but this takes a minute." She chuckled, privately hating her suit even more.

"In that case mind if I rinse off real quick? Want to make sure I'm… Clean, for you." Shepard said, receiving an appreciative nod from Tali and stepping into the bathroom.

Shepard had never had a faster shower. He didn't even wait for the water to get warm before scrubbing quickly to get all the sweat and other potentially harmful bacteria off him. He turned off the water and took a deep breath.

He stepped out from the bathroom, seeing Tali by the foot of his bed. The lights from the fish tank were the only thing illuminating the room, her pale eyes glinting in the darkness. "Hope you don't mind me not getting dressed…" he muttered, walking towards her.

"Not at all…" She answered, eyeing him seductively. He reached her and stopped, bringing a hand to caress her face, then move down her bare form.

She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of skin contact. It was warm, like the sun but in small doses, following his fingertips wherever they traced.

Tali opened her eyes and saw him watching her. It mattered to him that she enjoy this. That thought alone brought a rush of feeling through her that made her knees weak and heart ache more than ever. She reached around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, this one much slower.

When they broke she stepped backwards, pulling him with her onto the bed. The shock of warmth that hit her body as so much skin made contact at once caused her to gasp, then relax as it settled in. It was nothing she'd felt before. She wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her feet and feeling as much of him as she could.

It was difficult, trying to make the body express every ounce of passion the heart was feeling. But she'd be damned if she didn't try.


	2. The Fall of the Normandy

**Most of the remaining chapters really do read better with the epic music of the final mission (or anything else epic you may have) playing in the background. The two main soundtrack songs I think are _The End Run _and _Suicide Mission_, or another good one from the trailer is _Heart of Courage _by Two Steps from Hell if you feel like having some music to accompany the read.**

* * *

Chapter II: The Fall of the Normandy

The Omega 4 relay floated ominously in the distance, rotating rings blocking out the glare of the malevolent energy storm in its heart for a split second before letting it radiate out again. It was their one way ticket, the only possible way to the collector home world.

After this mission was over Shepard intended this relay to lead to nothing more than a bare stretch of dead space.

"Approaching Omega 4 relay. Everyone stand by." Joker spoke into the intercom.

Shepard stood behind the pilot's seat, arms crossed. "Let's make it happen." Joker nodded and made a flurry of keystrokes across the numerous panels before him.

"Reaper IFF activated, signal acknowledged." EDI's cool voice announced to the ship.

"Commander!" Jacob's voice crackled through the com system from the armory. "The drive core just lit up like a Christmas tree!"

They were almost at the relay now. Shepard leaned by the window to watch as they pulled alongside it.

"Drive core electrical charge at critical le–" EDI said in a robotic "warning, warning" tone.

"Yeah, I got it!" Joker said, stretching to reach a number of less-used panels floating to the sides. "Rerouting!"

The Normandy coasted by the heart of the relay and several jolts of red energy stretched out to meet them. Then with a bright flash the relay lit and the Normandy was in FTL. Shepard looked away from the windows, FTL vision made his head spin.

"Brace for deceleration!" EDI warned the crew. Shepard grabbed the back of Joker's chair as he squinted through the window.

"Oh shit!" Joker exclaimed and the Normandy turned sharply. Shepard looked through the window to see they'd ended the jump in the middle of a debris field, miraculously having avoided everything up to this point. Joker saw a break in the floating rubble and shot for it, bringing the Normandy out into clear space.

Slowing down they cruised above the field. "Too close." Joker muttered to himself, relaxing in his chair after sitting rigid for over a minute.

Shepard looked around wide-eyed. The space was lit by a dying sun in the far distance casting an eerie, evening glow on the millions of floating hulks slowly drawing towards it.

"These must be all the ships that tried to make it through before." Joker said, looking out the window. "Some look… Ancient."

But Shepard was focused on something else now. A space station, unaffected by the pull of the black hole, floating amidst the debris. It was massive. "That has to be the collector base." He told Joker, pointing. "Take us in nice and easy."

Joker nodded and eased forward but the Normandy began to shudder violently.

"We have company." EDI said as thin red lasers from behind shot over the Normandy. Over the cockpit windows soared small floating orbs, singular lenses lighting up and discharging red beams. They kept pace with the much larger ship and began charging again as more machines could be seen coming in from the sides.

"Taking evasive maneuvers – might wanna hold on!" Joker shouted, turning the Normandy abruptly before the lasers cut a hole through the cockpit.

"That new plating won't last forever, we need to lose these things!" Miranda said as she stumbled into the cockpit after a ship-quaking hit, Shepard turning just in time to catch her.

The machines were too quick. Small and agile, they could dip in and out of the debris making darting attacks on the Normandy. Despite Jokers spontaneous turns and flips the machines kept up easily. Joker gritted his teeth but a second later, the shuddering stopped.

"What happened, did they–?" Joker began but was cut off by a deep rumbling and violent quaking.

"Alert: Hull breach in engineering deck." EDI's cool voice betrayed the atmosphere of unrest. A rotating hologram of the Normandy floated beside the operating panels showing the exact location of the breach.

"It's in the cargo hold!" Joker muttered, sparing a glance at the hologram before turning his attention back on evading the half-dozen other machines still trying to take the Normandy apart from the outside.

"I'll take a team to deal with it, you lose the others." Shepard ordered Joker, tapping Miranda's shoulder as he walked past.

"Aye aye commander." Joker responded over his shoulder.

Shepard ran down the hall past the vacant chairs, Miranda in tow. In the silence he could hear more rumbling from deep down, sounds of the machine tearing apart the cargo hold. Thankfully the elevator stood waiting and he and Miranda rushed inside, hitting the bottom button.

He put a hand to his headpiece. "Legion, I need you to go to the engineering deck and help Tali operating the Normandy's systems. Garrus, make sure our new weapon wasn't damaged in the attack. Grunt meet me down in the hold, we have an intruder we need to show hospitality. Everyone else to your stations!"

"Affirmative."

"Gotcha."

"Heh Heh Heh."

The elevator doors opened at the main deck and Legion stepped in. Before the doors closed they could see Thane and Garrus jogging past, nodding before the doors blocked them from sight.

The Normandy shuddered again and Shepard tapped his foot impatiently. "You guys built a state of the art warship and this was the best you could do for an elevator?" he snapped at Miranda. "A flight of stairs would have been cheaper and faster."

"Sorry, did I forget to mention how you used _most_ of Cerberus' resources? Maybe we should've exchanged a faster elevator for your nervous system, or your ability to drink through a straw." She replied curtly.

Shepard clenched his jaw and readied his shotgun. This thing wasn't waiting for them; it needed to be put down before the Normandy was torn apart from the inside out.

The doors opened at the engineering deck and Legion slid past the waiting krogan on its way to manage the core room, not even glancing through the window at the orb-machine floating in the hold. The machine was finding structural weak points and cutting through them with quick bursts of laser. On the side of the room a gaping hole to the void outside was patched by a temporary atmosphere shield.

Grunt stepped into the elevator as Shepard sprinted out. In one shotgun blast the window separating engineering from cargo hold was cracked and fractured, a second later shattered completely as Shepard threw himself through it. He fired twice in the direction he remembered his target last being in, eyes shut tight to keep the shards of glass out, then hit the floor and tumbled roughly. His back hit cover and he shook his head to be sure he knocked all the glass free before opening his eyes.

The hold was in poor condition, it probably wouldn't have lasted the last stretch of elevator ride. Of course that now meant the enemy had something else to focus on.

Shepard looked around, back to a turbine, wondering where the machine went. A shadow cast over him and he looked up to see it directly above, red lens focusing.

He raised his shotgun and pumped two rounds point-blank into the lens but it was unfazed, the shots leaving nothing more than minor chips in the glass.

It appeared to be finished assessing him, however. The lens flashed and Shepard dove to the side as the spot of floor he had been scorched black. He ran to the side of the turbine but the machine simply floated up, getting an angle on him over the cover. He moved to a storage crate containing unused minerals but the machine hovered over towards him again, making cover pointless.

"Oh c'mon…" he gasped as he broke cover again, running for a solid support beam on the side of the room. He spun behind it and caught his breath, wondering how they were going to kill this thing.

He could feel the beam vibrate and looked up to see a clean line cut through near the top. He stepped back as another laser cut through near the bottom at an angle. The beam screeched and began sliding down towards him, forcing him to move to the side. The enemy was waiting for him, red lens flaring again.

Shepard moved from the beam as it slid off its base, turning and firing at the approaching machine. The lens flashed red again but before it focused in on Shepard a volley of fire sprayed its side. The bullets inflicted no damage but caught its attention, firing as it turned towards the newcomers to the fight.

Miranda crouched behind a control console for cover but Grunt took the brunt of the laser to the shoulder. He staggered forward in defiance, roaring as he charged through the solid beam boring through his armor.

Shepard found cover and yelled for Grunt to do the same but the room was too loud. After several more seconds the beam thinned and finally died, leaving a smoking and infuriated Grunt still staggering towards his enemy. The machine floated backwards, evidently its energy tapped for the time being after holding a charge for so long.

Shepard doubted it would be helpless long. He leaned around the cover and looked for some way to inflict damage on the impenetrable orb, Miranda fired over Grunt's shoulder at precise locations trying to find a weak spot while the krogan sprinted the last gap to close grips with his opponent.

He wasn't sure what Grunt hoped to do in close combat with a giant metal sphere but somehow the krogan found hand holds around the lens. He dug his claws in and could be seen using all his muscle to pull, teeth bared as he came face-to-lens.

The whole ship shook again and the straining hull could be heard groaning. The machine lifted higher off the deck, taking Grunt with it.

"Commander I can't shake these things, I'm going to try to lose them in the debris field!" Joker's voice crackled over the comm.

"Do it, we can't kill this thing with small arms!" Shepard responded, swinging around the console to where Miranda was kneeling.

Loud _pings_ and bangs could be heard coming from the sides of the ship. The Normandy began lurching this way and that and Miranda stopped trying to get shots off and just hung onto a support rail to keep upright. Shepard closed his eyes as the ship banked hard, fighting to keep his head up against the momentum. He caught a glimpse of the machine floating in the center of the room. It tried to dislodge Grunt by quick jerks but had to spend several seconds correcting movement as the extra weight swinging around threw itself off course.

"We're losing most of them Commander, they can't take hits the way the Normandy can!" Joker laughed over the intercom.

Just then the ship hit a particularly large piece of debris, throwing everything forward in a horrible lurch. The lights in the hanger flickered for a second, the console screens flashed numerous diagnostic warnings, and the environmental barrier keeping the side of the hull intact stuttered, then died.

The machine floating beside the opening was instantly sucked out of the ship, taking Grunt with it. Shepard and Miranda held onto whatever was nearby and grounded, loose wreckage flying past them out the gaping hole. Shepard shouted to Joker but couldn't hear his own voice anymore.

A second later the barrier came back up, dropping everything in midair and allowing Miranda and Shepard to take deep breaths of air. Miranda looked around taking an estimation of the damage, then back to Shepard with a grim look.

"You guys take care of our guest?" Joker asked over the comm. "We lost the rest of them."

Shepard looked to Miranda with a set jaw, then turned towards the elevator. "It's done Joker, we're coming back up." He stepped into the elevator and hit the command deck, Miranda stepping in as the doors closed.

She broke the silence first as he checked his gear in the dim light. "We all knew what we were getting into when we joined the mission, Shepard. Grunt–"

"Was a warrior, and he went the way any krogan would if they could." Shepard finished, putting the shotgun back on his back. "He'll be given proper respects when we finish this."

'_Already? I'm losing them already?'_ Shepard didn't lie to himself, despite knowing he was recruiting for a suicide mission he allowed himself to become attached to his team. He always made that mistake. He shook his head. There would be time for remembering later. Or maybe not. Either way he had to focus on what they'd come to do.

"Just wanted to make sure you were on task, Commander." Miranda said calmly.

"Warriors aren't mourned, they're honored; and their tales memorialized." Shepard replied just as coolly. "Grunt's fire will live on in our actions today." Silently he wondered how many more friends they were going to lose in their final hour.

The doors opened and Shepard moved quickly up the deck to the cockpit.

"Think they're sending an old friend to greet us, Commander." Joker said as Shepard came up behind him.

Shepard's eyes narrowed as he focused on the collector base. Out of one port hole the ship they'd encountered before launched, giving true context to the enormity of the base. The hive-like ship began turning to face them.

"Fire the main guns Joker. I owe someone a good spacing…" Shepard growled, gripping the back of the pilot's chair.

"And me a ship." Joker acknowledged, smiling. He punched the comm. "Clear the weapon batteries!"

* * *

Garrus and Thane typed hurriedly to make sure the weapons were as finely tuned as possible.

"Clear the weapon batteries!" the announcement ran through the comm.

Thane made it to the doors, turning to see Garrus type in one last command before following. He made it about half way down the hall when the comm echoed through the ship.

"Shit they're firing on us! Hold onto som–!"

The Normandy rocked and Thane threw himself to the ground spread eagled, holding onto the grated flooring. He looked over his shoulder and saw Garrus stumbling, trying to regain his footing.

Thane was about to call out to him when he saw a support beam overhead Garrus snap without warning. It hung down, jagged edge like death's finger pointing across the walkway. The Normandy shook again and the beam's weight shifted, suddenly sliding down across the gangway at head level where Garrus had just enough time to look up, eyes wide. Thane had seen many gruesome things in his life, but he still looked away at the sound of a sickening crunch as the beam's point went through several materials to reach the wall on the other side.

Thane looked up to survey the damage, stomach knotted at what he might find. At first his thought was confused revulsion. The sight before him was of Garrus' body slumped against the wall, beam disappearing into his wide collar. The horrible part was the body was still struggling, desperately trying to remove the beam.

Then he heard the calls for help. Thane ran over to the walkway, finding Garrus intact – head and all, on the other side of the beam. A wave of relief washed over him. The point had gone right through the turian's armor missing his head by a hair's breadth.

"When you get a chance can you help me get this off?" Garrus asked with mock-politeness. "We've still got a battle ahead of us."

"Be still, we need to get the rest of you out from under it before we move anything…" Thane said, standing back and looking over the situation. _'Not today, Kalahira. Not yet.'_

* * *

"I'm _not_ losing another ship to these bastards!" Joker exclaimed as he fired the main cannons. The shots streamed ahead of the Normandy and pierced the bow of the collector ship. The solid stream of fire it had been sending at the Normandy died instantly and small explosions could be seen running along the hull.

"One more, for old times Commander?" Joker asked smirking, moving his chair to the side and pointing to the weapon system controls.

Shepard stepped forward and punched the fire button, sending two more streams ahead of them. The collector vessel detonated in segments as the shots ran through it, adding considerable debris to the surrounding area. He grimaced in smug satisfaction at the payback, but the warm feelings were short lived.

"Oh shit we're too close." Joker said as Shepard stepped back to give him controls.

From where the ship had exploded a shockwave sending the floating debris fields flying swept in their direction. The Normandy banked but was still alongside the former vessel when the shockwave hit.

* * *

"Mass effect field generators are offline, recommend evacuation of engineering room." EDI advised the two crew members present in the engineering deck.

Legion looked up from its work, ready to leave until it saw Tali still at her console before the mass effect core, nimble fingers flurrying over the keyboard.

"Creator-Tali Zorah must evacuate, if Normandy makes contac–" Legion warned as it stepped towards her.

"I know what will happen–" Tali jerked her head up as the core began sparking, normally swirling energies becoming a violent maelstrom. "But if I can save it–" A few glass panels covering the core shattered, sending glass flying and ricocheting around the circular room. "Just go Legion!" she shouted.

"Shepard-Commander instructed this unit to aid you." Legion explained monotonously striding towards her, barely audible over the sounds of explosions and glass breaking, oblivious to the glass shards tinkling off its body. "Harm to Creator-Tali Zorah would cause this unit to have failed its orders."

Tali turned her head to argue but the ship suddenly rocked hard, causing them both to stumble in search for support. More explosions ran along the side of the core, diverting both their attentions. Before she could react more glass panels blew sending larger chucks of glass flying around the room. She stepped back but could already see a wall of jagged pointed glass coming around the core, a second away from slicing her to pieces.

She threw her arms up to shield herself and closed her eyes. She'd seen what glass could do to a body, it wasn't pretty. And with nothing but a handrail between herself and the oncoming wall she knew even if she wasn't cut to ribbons the numerous lacerations would make way for innumerable infections.

But before her racing mind could process another thought she felt a firm grip take hold of her shoulders and spin her around, beginning to strafe towards the exit. She didn't dare move but could hear the sounds of shattering glass against metal behind her as Legion took the brunt of the glass storm. Something felt wrong, like the Normandy was free-falling. Walking was off-balanced and Tali wondered how long until they hit something or EDI somehow restored power to the damaged core.

She looked to the door, matching Legion's steps to minimize exposure, wondering if they could make it. They were almost out of the spherical room and…

She gasped, eyes widening. Warmth ran down her lower back.

Legion stepped away to close the door to the core room and Tali stumbled to a rail, sliding down.

Just then the Normandy rocked harder than before, as if it had hit something much larger in size. Tali hugged the railing she sat against as the ship spun hard for several seconds, gravitational force making it hard to keep her head up. Then a long screeching was heard as the ship shuddered, Tali realizing they'd landed on the collector base and were sliding along its surface.

Finally they came to a halt, occasional groans from the hull breaking silence.

Tali remembered the warmth still spreading across her back and side. She looked down.

It didn't hurt. The sharpest cuts never hurt. They just leave the biggest marks. Tali put a hand to her back, feeling where the suit had been breached and the blood that gushed from the deep wound beneath. She'd seen similar wounds before. She was surprised and relieved her guts weren't coming out.

Legion rose from the floor where it'd been thrown. Its lens focused on her and on the spots of blood seeping into the grated floor, then to the gaping hole in its chest.

"Legion I…" Tali muttered, shaking her head to clear the fuzz, "I may need help…"

Legion moved quickly, going around the console to find the med pack located on the engineering deck and returning to Tali who was putting all her effort on staying conscious and not slipping into shock. Legion leaned her forward gently, careful not to open the wound further and moved the torn fabric aside, applying liberal amounts of gel and antiseptics to her back.

Tali hissed and gripped the floor grating hard. Despite it being a "clean" environment, antiseptics burned like nothing else; along with that the feeling of medigel binding a wound closed was always an unsettling feeling. With the geth's cold efficient fingers it felt more like a surgery than a first-aid.

"Creator-Tali Zorah, the damaged tissue runs approximately six-point-three-five centimeters deep." Legion said, working the gel into the cut with robotic dabs. "Probability of survival–"

"I don't want to hear it, Legion." Tali interrupted, glancing over her shoulder. "Most people don't have Shepard to live for. I do." She shook her head again, the lights of the engineering deck coming more into focus now that she'd stopped losing blood. She sat back, unused to the feeling of air on her skin.

Legion could be seen deliberating for a split second, lens refocusing. "Understood." It reached into the pack and produced wrappings. "Reinforcement of wound site decreases chance of rupturing injury."

"Such a way with words." Tali muttered, leaning forward again. "I have… A favor to ask of you, Legion." She said hesitantly.

"Yes." It responded, monotonous tone making it both a question and a statement as metallic hands tore the wrappings in precise dimensions, soaking the pieces in antiseptic.

"I need you to not tell Shepard about this. He will… He might not let me come with the team, into the collector base." She explained, straightening herself as Legion applied the bandages. "I was recruited for a reason, and they will need my tech knowledge if you are incapacitated."

"Everyone, meet up in the comm room. Sound off if you need medical attention." Shepard's voice rang through the ship, leaving quiet emptiness in its wake.

Legion could be heard thinking, small whirrs and quiet muffled stuttering sounds emitting from its long head. After a pause it continued dressing her wounds. "Shepard-Commander will not be notified of the incident."

"Thank you, Legion." Tali said gratefully as the geth stood, regarding her for any other injury. "I think all that's left is suit repair. Go ahead, I'll meet you all up deck." It nodded and moved towards the hall, disappearing behind a sliding door.

'_If I stay behind and am needed we'll all be dead anyway… At least this way the others might live… Shepard might live…' _She stood tenderly, twisting herself to test the wound. It would hold for now, but she had no idea what kind of environment she would find in the base. The longer she spent in there the less her chances of surviving this mission.

For now, all she could focus on was doing her part. The rest was up to Shepard…

* * *

Shepard looked around the debriefing room. He met every gaze with silent regard, knowing this would likely be the last time he saw them all together like this. His eyes acknowledged every person they met, in an instant conveying his thoughts – his incredible gratitude for them making the sacrifices they would be making today, and the resolution he imparted to them all. To get the job done – no matter the cost. Their fourteen lives were insignificant to the lives that would be lost should they fail this day.

The doors slid open again and Tali walked in, looking for an empty space around the table and moving to stand a little behind Garrus. She and Shepard shared a look. A flicker of softness entered his eyes before he nodded to her and faced the hologram rotating over the center of the table.

The uneasy silence that filled the room was broken by Shepard's strong voice. "We can't worry whether or not the Normandy can bring us home today. We all knew the risks going in to this mission." He stood straight, looking over them all again. "We're the only ones who have this opportunity, to save our people and stop the collectors permanently. We don't know how many they've taken – thousands, hundreds of thousands… But I know this: Not. One. More."

He motioned towards the hologram, noting their location on the hull. "EDI doesn't detect any alarms letting them know of our presence, but we should move quickly."

EDI appeared beside the hologram. "Based on the life signatures from scanning the ship most of the crew and any surviving colonists would be located in this large room here." One of the inner chambers of the hologram illuminated for a moment. All eyes began charting a course through the thin wiry passages to reach the destination.

"Our priority is finding the core of the base. If we fail there it doesn't matter how many people we rescue along the way." Shepard added, eyes locked on the centermost chamber. "If we can plant an explosive in whatever this power structure is, the detonation should be large enough to wipe this place off the galaxy map." He said, pointing to a yellow blip on the hologram.

"It looks like the captive chamber is along the way. But to get there…" Miranda said, eyes scanning numerous passages, "We need to go through these chambers here. See this?" she gestured to where two passes met, "This door won't open from one side."

"Our biggest danger is being overwhelmed. We need to keep ourselves divided, keep the collectors on their toes." Thane said, noting the congregation of red specks spread throughout the entire ship. "We're on their ground, deception is our friend here, not strength."

"So we split up." Jacob said simply. "And send someone through the ventilation shaft here to get the doors. Practically a suicide mission." He looked over the passes once again. "I volunteer."

"We need someone with tech expertise, Jacob. You wouldn't be able to get the doors open fast enough." Miranda said matter-of-factly. "But it's your call commander."

Shepard looked at his team. The best of the best – all hand picked for their unique skill sets. Whoever he sent into the vents needed to be familiar enough with tech to get the doors open and… _'And what, not too close to heart?'_ His gaze rested on Tali. He didn't want her hurt. No, this was why you don't get close to teams. It made you choke at the hard decisions, like sending someone you care about into danger. But the only other alternative was Legion, who was admittedly more combat effective and would be more useful to the other team.

"Tali." Shepard said, looking to her. "We'll be hitting those doors under fire and I need someone who can get them open as quickly as possible."

"I won't let you down, Shepard." Tali said reassuringly. She watched him after he turned away, noticing a shadow of a grimace pass over his face as he named her.

"Miranda, I want you to take our primary force down this main passage here." Shepard said, tactician mind following the passages and calculating progress, estimating resistance, doing what Shepard did best.

"Fuck we gotta follow the cheerleader?" Jack said loudly, turning to Miranda. "I forgot my pom-poms, that gonna be a problem?"

"Focus, Jack." Shepard said as Miranda opened her mouth to retort. "This isn't a popularity contest. Stick with Miranda and she'll keep you all alive. Thane, Kasumi, you're with me." He continued, motioning to a passage that followed Tali's ventilation shaft. "Our goal is to make sure Tali's path is clear. We're favoring stealth but be prepared to get your hands dirty."

"Always." Kasumi smirked under her hood, moving with Thane to stand near Shepard while everyone else gravitated towards Miranda.

"I don't need to tell you all what's at stake." Shepard said with finality. "We're not just fighting for ourselves, but for every man woman and child in our galaxy. Life as we know it is depending on us, today – now. Fight not just for us, but for them. For the allies we've lost along the way, and for the sake of seeing another sunrise. This is our hour – our moment. And we will not fail."


	3. Two Steps from Hell

Chapter III: Two Steps from Hell

Shepard dropped a few yards out of the Normandy's exit hatch to the ground below. Knees absorbing the shock he looked across to the other exit where the rest of the team was filing out towards a large tunnel entrance into the base. A few looked back at him, nods of respect with a hope of "see you on the other side."

Tali walked between the two groups, towards a smaller hatch leading into a long tube that ran into Shepard's assigned hall and wrapped around the corner, disappearing from view. She knelt by the hatch for a moment, omni tool glowing in the light of the collapsing sun. The hatch hissed open and she looked back one last time. Their eyes met. Shepard whispered "See you on the other side," and she was gone.

He, Thane and Kasumi drew their weapons and proceeded swiftly down the dark passage before them.

Dimly lit, many twists and turns made keeping sense of direction nearly impossible. They came to frequent forks in the path and Shepard consulted his omni tool to bring up a map of their location and chart a course that kept alongside the main ventilation.

Ahead the path opened into a large chamber, the side of which opened into an even bigger chamber that might've ran the length of the hollow ship. Tali could be seen moving through the vent tube that lined the wall just above a raised rim supported by pillars.

Suddenly a loud buzzing filled the air. Shepard motioned for the team to take cover, moving behind a pillar to hide from sight of the main room. He tried to see where the others had disappeared to but couldn't find them. He knew he recruited them for a reason.

The buzz of wings died away and Shepard looked out. Only one collector remained of the swarm that passed by. It stood before a control console that fed into the vent tube. Above it, Tali was trying to move around debris that blocked her path. Neither had seen the other yet. Shepard guessed the tube muffled sound.

Shepard put a hand to his earpiece, whispering to Thane. "Collector by vent tube. Take it out quietly if it notices Tali."

"Understood." The hushed voice whispered back. Shepard looked back out, ensuring the collector was still busy. He moved forward a pillar, motioning for anyone who saw him to do the same. He saw Kasumi slide into view from a crevice in the catacomb-like walls then disappear again into the shadow of another.

Just then Tali moved a particularly large piece of debris, making a loud clunk as it hit the bottom of the tube. The collector looked up and the back of its bulbous head erupted in a spray of purple fluid, Thane appearing behind it carrying a locust. Before the body dropped Thane strode forward, stepping into its place as it fell to the side silently and assuming the controls.

"I'm diverting the airflow from this tube." Thane explained through the comm so Tali could hear. "You might feel a rise in temperature but it should clear the way ahead of any more obstructions."

"Thank you Thane, I'll – Look out!" Tali exclaimed, pointing behind them.

Shepard spun as he heard the return of buzzing wings. "Take cover!" he ordered, seeing the swarm of collectors beginning to land on the lower platform. "Prepare to engage!"

He moved behind a makeshift barrier beside the control console and noticed Tali still there. "Tali, move! There's nothing you can do here."

"And having those doors ready to open when we get there would be nice, too." Kasumi added, spraying submachine gun fire into the barrier of a landing collector who hadn't found cover yet. The following sniper round fired from beside Shepard punched through its weakened defenses and lodged in its cranium, causing it to drop its weapon, stumble back a few feet and slip off the edge.

"I… Alright, don't die on me Shepard!" Tali added commandingly, running down the tube and out of sight.

"Not yet." Shepard muttered, drawing his own sniper rifle and extending the barrel. He leaned out to the side of cover and blew out an exposed collector's kneecap. "I've got too much to live for to die now."

"_Assuming direct control."_

The omniscient voice sounded less than five yards beyond Shepard's cover. He dropped his rifle and drew his shotgun. He calmly picked up a sharp piece of metal lying beside him on the ground and etched in a final tally to complete a streak under the letters "HB" near the stock. He never remembered to do it after.

"You want some more I got everything you _fuckin'_ want!" Shepard shouted, vaulting over the cover.

* * *

"Head down Jack!" Miranda called, lining up a shot.

Jack's retort was cut into bits of "F–k–ou." By the roar of Zaeed's rifle firing over her head, incendiary ammo catching exposed collectors on fire when their barriers failed.

"Half way to rendezvous point – Tali reports she is in position and working on doors." Mordin informed Miranda, ducking beside her behind the barricade. "Fortuitous, that collectors made base easily defendable. Cover abundant. Gives us advantage in choosing our footholds."

"I'll be sure to remember that when I built my giant space station." Jacob commented, standing and throwing a biotic field at an oncoming collector. It hit in full, having the same effect as someone running headlong into a car moving the opposite direction. The collector spun around the point of impact and hit the ground dead.

"Just a little further, allies." Samara called from the forefront of battle. She jumped onto the next barricade collectors were hiding behind and sent a bionic shockwave into the ground throwing them from cover. They were taken down quickly while disoriented and the team moved up. The doors they would be meeting at were in view, at the end of a long passageway near the end of the chamber.

"This is Tali. Main team your door is ready to open, let me know when you get here." Tali's voice came through the comm.

"You heard her people, move out!" Miranda ordered, breaking cover and running for the last stretch beside Jacob and Mordin.

"More on our left, watch out!" Garrus shouted, strafing and firing his assault rifle into the oncoming swarm emerging from a tunnel. He clipped one's wings and caused it to crash violently into the chamber.

"On our right, up high!" Zaeed called out. He threw a grenade into the hole in the wall where collectors were swarming out like insects. The grenade detonated and bathed the small passage in flames.

Jack turned around and sent a shockwave through the ground behind them, catching collectors appearing there and disrupting their footing.

"Tali open the doors, we're almost there!" Garrus shouted, kneeling behind the last piece of cover between them and the door and giving suppressive fire support for the others. Zaeed leapt over the cover and joined him.

A loud churning could be heard behind them and he glanced back to see the doors open into a larger hall, just wide enough for them to get through.

"Let's go people, everyone through the doors! No one gets left behind!" Garrus shouted to the team running past him. He and Zaeed were the last ones left at the barricade. He tapped the mercenary's shoulder and began moving back, keeping the fire on to force the collector's heads down. When they were all in cover he slapped Zaeed's shoulder and turned, sprinting the last stretch.

He and Zaeed made it over the threshold and took cover on either side of the door, keeping the pressure on the collectors in the chamber beyond. Tali fumbled with the controls at the side of the door, trying to close it. Sparks and flashes of circuitry made an indecipherable mess for Garrus to look at but Tali worked with steady hands, calmly dealing with display images as they popped up and continuing to work the door.

"–nyone th–re?" a voice came over the comm. "I need –ese doors o–en, now!" Shepard's voice came broken by static.

Garrus looked through the doors they were guarding, seeing seeker swarms pouring into the chamber and wafting towards them like a cloud of black death. He knelt beside Tali and pushed her towards the door on the other side of the hall. "Go, we'll cover you!" Tali stood and stumbled towards the other doors.

"Legion, we need you to close these doors before the swarms get through!" Miranda shouted over the sound of fire. The collectors were beginning to shoot back, using the seeker swarms as a smokescreen.

The geth moved beside Garrus and began working, robotic hands a blur of motion as it finished what Tali started.

* * *

"Something's wrong, the door's stuck!" Tali said over the comm.

Shepard gritted his teeth as he focused on one collector at a time. Difficult, as there were over twenty now moving towards his team who were between a single barricade and the doors they needed to get through.

Kasumi threw a flashbang over their cover to buy time while Thane took opportune bursts with his submachine gun but Shepard knew they couldn't hold much longer.

"That was my last!" Kasumi shouted as pieces of the barricade above her head chipped and flew away with the oncoming fire. She noticed this and lowered herself further.

"Running low on ammo." Thane added as he popped the clip from his rifle and fed it into his locust. A collector that leapt over their cover was met with a rapid hail of bullets and crumbled before it hit the ground.

"Other door is sealed, everyone to my position – once Shepard's team gets in don't let anyone through that door!" Miranda's voice commanded over the comm.

Shepard stood and pumped a round into a collector that got too close, then ducked as a rocket flew over his head. The resulting explosion turned everything into white noise for a moment. Shepard stretched his jaw to try to get rid of it.

"Got it!" Tali's voice exclaimed over the comm. Shepard turned and saw the doors open. He motioned his team through, following last behind Thane. Kasumi just passed through when a missile hit the corner of one door, blowing Shepard and Thane back.

Everything was white noise again, his vision blurred. Shepard shook his head to make out his surroundings, only vaguely aware of his shotgun in one hand. Debris littered his body and his brain felt numb. He didn't know if he was injured but he couldn't move. His brain was… too fuzzy.

He leaned up, trying to get a view of his surroundings. The door was behind him, teammates were shouting something. Their mouths moving but no sound came out. He shifted his gaze groggily. Further from him lay Thane, near the edge of the cover they were just defending. The drell stirred but seemed in no better shape than Shepard.

Then he was being dragged backwards. Hands under his arms pulling him. A form moved past him – Jacob. Trying to get to Thane. Shepard grew aware of his surroundings and the noise around him intensified, sharpening. He shook the hands off, trying to climb to his feet.

Ahead Jacob knelt by Thane, trying to drag him towards the door. Just then a collector came around the cover, spraying Jacob with its weapon before he had a chance to draw his. The collector folded in half at the barrage of fire following but Jacob didn't move. Several holes were visible in his armor where the bullets had punched clean through.

A moment later a harbinger-possessed collector strode around the corner, eyes flashing towards Shepard. Behind it dozens more drones scrambled over cover towards them. It didn't even look as it lowered its weapon and fired a single round into Thane's skull. The drell's body went limp, the collector stepping over it towards the doors.

"_You cannot escape me, Shepard."_

"Close the doors, all survivors are in!" Miranda ordered in a hard voice, leaning back into cover as Harbinger sent a fireball through the open doors.

Tali's fingers flicked another few seconds before the doors slid close, cutting off the sounds of battle.

Shepard pushed away the hands helping him up as he stood, regaining his footing. He stared hard at the closed doors for a moment before turning away.

'_Not your fault. Their deaths were not your fault.'_ This was why you brought multiple specialists on military missions. War was Chaos. Random. It is impossible to plan every occurrence on the battlefield; you never knew where that one enemy sniper had been waiting for days, when your best soldier was going to turn his head at precisely the worst time, the variables were endless. He couldn't have planned for this but… _'Who brought them on this mission? As their leader you're responsible for every person here.'_

That was the true gift about being a leader. The ability to alleviate all failures of a group and take them upon yourself. Everyone knew what they were getting into when they took this mission. Regardless their deaths were on his hands. There would be time for remembrance later – but not now. Now he had to focus on those he could still keep alive.

He looked to Tali. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you. I knew you wouldn't let me down." He said, touching her shoulder. Something caught his eye as she stood, turning to face him.

"Thank you, Shepard." Tali said, sounding out of breath. He looked at her discerningly for another moment then was called away by Miranda.

"Commander, you better see this."

As Shepard approached he finally took in the room they were in. It was a massive chamber, stretching on similarly to the abandoned collector ship they'd boarded missions ago. The only difference was this one had massive tubing that ran into the ceiling connecting from all the walls and rooms beyond.

"Any idea what those are for?" Shepard asked, looking at the pipes. But before anyone could answer Garrus called his attention to the wall of the chamber to their side.

"Shepard! It looks like one of the missing colonists." The turian approached the sleeper pod-like structure on the wall cautiously, watching the colonist inside. He tapped on the outer shell with the barrel of his weapon. The woman inside stirred in her slumber.

"There're more of them, over here!" Kasumi called from further down the wall. "These ones look like our people." Along the wall beside her were rows of pods, inside each a human in Cerberus uniform.

Shepard looked back to the colonist beside Garrus and saw grey steam being released from the shell into the pod. He pushed past Garrus to get a closer look, eyes narrowing as the steam crawled up her leg. At first nothing happened, then the steam met exposed skin along her hands and arms and suddenly set in.

She jolted awake, staring around wide eyed. Her face was a contortion of pain and shock as a low scream rose in her throat. Shepard looked down and saw wherever the flesh was met with steam it immediately began deteriorating. The skin around her fingers bubbled. She tried to cover herself but the vapors had reached her face now, eating away at her cheeks and nose. She screamed and hammered at the shell of the pod, skin sloughing off her hands entirely and splashing the interior of her death chamber with blood that ran down in rivers.

Face now devoid entirely of flesh, lidless eyes stared blankly at Shepard through the thick glass as the woman sank into a puddle of her own biomass.

Shepard looked emotionlessly back, then to his crew who were watching from a short distance away, out of sight of what'd just happened. "Get our people out." He ordered stoically. "Now." Repairing the Normandy would take all the help it could get.

The team began trying to get the pods open. Miranda found prying at a handhold along the side caused the front to slide open. Within minutes they'd pulled the entire crew a safe distance from the pods. They were unsettled but seemed to be coming to.

Shepard stood to the side beside Garrus, watching his team rouse the crew. This was the job he left to other people. "Comfort and care" had never been his forte.

"Shepard? You… You came for us." Shepard looked to see Dr. Chakwas addressing him, rising with Mordin's help.

"No one gets left behind." He responded simply. The crew looked torn between relief and disbelief. He sniffed, maybe it really was that hard to believe he'd come for them.

"Thank god you came when you did… They were…" Kelly began, looking to the large tubes running into the ceiling. "Processing us." She finished quietly.

"Why?" Miranda asked. "They must have a reason for doing this."

"It doesn't matter." Shepard interjected distractedly. "We're here to stop it, not understand it." He brought up his omni tool. "EDI, where to next?"

"I detect one main path leading to the chamber above your current location. Although it is heavily defended and the doors at the end would need to be forced open." EDI replied readily. "There is an alternative route to the back of those doors but it requires passing through the seeker swarm storage chamber."

"Any ideas on how to get through there?" Shepard asked, looking around his team.

Samara stepped forward. "I could project a biotic field to repel the seeker swarms. I couldn't cover everyone, but enough for a small team to get through."

"Any biotic could, really." Jack added. She folded her arms and looked to Miranda. "Even cheerleader here."

"What about us, commander?" Dr. Chakwas asked, at the front of the now standing Cerberus crew looking around uncertainly. "We're in no condition to fight and don't know the way out."

"You're going to signal joker and get the coordinates for the Normandy." Shepard answered offhandedly. "And you're taking Tali with you."

"What?" Tali asked, standing from her kneeling position beside engineer Gabby. "Shepard I'm–!"

"Injured, Tali." He interrupted, coolly. "You're bleeding, badly." His eyes betrayed his calm voice with concern. "My guess is since you moved that blockage in the ventilation shaft, you opened something." He moved towards her. "I told anyone who needed medical attention to sound off before we started."

Miranda opened her mouth and started to say something along the lines of not having time for this but she was silenced as Shepard raised a hand in her direction. The rest of the team began moving forward down the path, suddenly finding the surrounding landscape very interesting.

"I wanted…" Tali began, then swayed as her knee wobbled.

Shepard caught her before she fell, holding her closer than necessary for her to get her balance. "I know, Tali. I know what you were trying to do. And you did it. Now it's time for you to go back and help repair the Normandy."

"I can still fight, Shepard!" Tali argued, trying in vain to push herself away from his chest. "What does it say about me if I stop now? My life compared to the number of people that could die if we…"

"Not as much as it says about me." Shepard stated. He knew he was being ultimately selfish in making this decision. He knew that she could keep fighting. That he was placing her life above countless billions. He didn't care.

"I did a lot of things to clear our team's heads for the mission. Now I'm the one who can't focus with you hurt." He said softly, still holding her close. "Please, do this for me."

Tali stopped trying to push and let her arms fall around his body. After a moment of embrace she responded. "All right." She stepped back from him. "I'll go back, to help repairs."

"Joker, send your coordinates and safest route to Tali." Miranda ordered through the comm, impatiently waiting a short distance away. "She's bringing the crew back."

"When I get the Normandy working, you better be coming back Shepard." Tali said, ignoring Miranda and bringing a hand to his face.

"Focus on getting your wounds cleaned up first." Shepard reminded her. "Captain's orders." Her moonlike eyes narrowed slightly and Shepard could tell she was smiling. "Dr. Chakwas," he called out bringing the Cerberus crew back, "Tali will escort you all back now."

"Commander is she fit to fight? What if we run into collectors?" Kelly asked worriedly.

"You have a point." Shepard noted, nodding. "Mordin." He called from the team now up the path a ways. When the professor approached Shepard nodded towards the crew. "You're going with Tali to ensure the crew get backs safely."

"Shepard we can't keep sending our people backwards, we need to finish this." Miranda said looking disapprovingly as Mordin moved without question, checking each crew member for injury.

"They've done their part." He responded. "The Normandy needs Tali to operate again unless you want to stay here after we blow this place. The crew needs Mordin to deal with medical issues."

"The crew's or Tali's?" Miranda asked pointedly. "You're letting your own interests get in the way. We all knew this could be a one way trip when we took the mission."

"I'll remind you of that when we complete our objective and I'm getting back into the Normandy. You have permission to stand by your word when that time comes." Shepard retorted, looking one last time to Tali and the others before moving down the path towards his team. "Or you can get aboard with us and thank me for my infinite wisdom in sending our two scientists back to make repairs."

"Sometimes the few must sacrifice for the greater good." She reminded him, jogging to keep up with his brisk pace.

"Sometimes people don't give a _damn_," he said, spinning and moving face to face with her, "about what happens to their own lives or the galaxy of ungrateful bastards beyond. Until they find something that makes their lives worth living." He stared at her hard for another few seconds until she looked away. "Maybe you just haven't found that yet. I promise you when you do you'll do anything in your power to protect it." He turned away and strode towards the rest of the team who were watching warily, Miranda following after a few moments.

"Listen up," Shepard called, bringing around their attention. "We've got three biotics and five non-biotics. Each biotic is going to take two non through the seeker chamber. To keep it simple we're going to follow in a line of three bubbles rather than trying anything fancy." Shepard felt himself again – able to coordinate and plan. "Zaeed, you and I are with Samara in the foremost bubble. Garrus and Legion, you're in the last with Jack giving supporting fire where we need it. Kasumi is with Miranda in the middle. If we need any doors opened or terminals hacked we'll move past it and Jack's group will cover you from behind to keep you undisturbed." Kasumi nodded in acknowledgement while everyone else moved towards their bubble-group. "Your maintaining the field will leave you defenseless if we come under fire so find cover immediately. It's up to your team to keep you safe – if you go down they all go down." He looked around to make sure that message was clear. Everyone nodded.

"Let's move quickly, the faster we go the less time they need to keep the fields up." Garrus said, checking his rifle and looking towards the end of their current path. It wound along the wall of the massive chamber and into a dark tunnel splitting deeper into the base.

"We should hurry before the collectors realize where we are." Shepard said, picking up the pace to a light jog. "EDI filling their system with false information will only work until one of them sees us."

The team followed suit, activating the lights on their omni tools as they moved deeper into the dark tunnel. The atmospheric lighting in the previous chambers was dimming the further they went in. They rounded a final corner and found themselves in utter blackness outside of their personal lights.

Shepard brought them to a halt, bringing up an illuminated fist to tell them to hold. There was a hint of something in the air. It was getting cooler. Dank. He breathed in deeply through his nose. Rot. He knew that smell well.

He brought his light across the walls of the tunnel they were in. It was little more than two or three meters wide but parts of the walls fell away at times, revealing a crevice too deep for their lights to illuminate. The tunnel seemed riffled in areas, black and grey patches marking the sides and ceiling. Shepard didn't know what they were but he made motion to avoid the spots.

Something moved in the tunnel ahead of them. The lights had an effective range of about ten meters and the originator of the sound was standing just out of sight. Shepard motioned for the team to get ready.

Miranda stepped beside him, pulling out her phalanx pistol and aiming the laser. She started from the left side of the tunnel and slowly swept it across. As it hit the middle the laser jumped forward several dozen yards before falling back again. She quickly brought it back to whatever caught it before. It shifted slightly, uneven surface losing the laser sight for a moment before Miranda corrected it.

A low gasp was heard in the distance and Miranda narrowed her eyes to try to pick a target. There was the sound of dragging feet, picking up faster and faster as Miranda tried to keep the laser locked on. Then appearing in the light right before Shepard was the contorted form of a human, half starved features staring at him hungrily with biotic eyes. It continued running at him and he leaned forward, bringing up a leg to his chest and extending his boot to its face as it got in range.

The husk hit the ground hard, Shepard's foot firmly trapping its head as he drew his carnifex. He looked to the others in a look that said "be ready for anything" and fired a round into its skull.

Instantly the tunnel came alive. The walls fluttered apart and motion could be heard from the dark crevices. The black and grey patches on the walls flew apart into hundreds of little machine insects, all flying in different directions and filling the tunnel with the thrum of a million beating wings. Samara was first to throw up a shield, telling Jack and Miranda to wait until they exited the tunnel before using theirs as the current one effectively blocked off the entire passage.

"Let's move people!" Shepard shouted over the sound of seeker swarms. "Pick it up, We – Are – Leaving!"

He and Zaeed moved forward, guns blazing at anything that stood ahead of them or was beginning to crawl from the emergence holes on either side. Zaeed lowered his armored shoulder as one husk ahead of him managed to climb out of its hole, driving through the shell-like body and throwing it back into the dark depths.

The tunnel ended abruptly and Samara waited for the other two biotics to catch up before setting off. The path they were on was treacherous at best, a long thin piece of flat catwalk that spanned over an endless chasm below. Shepard didn't know if this was the right route but they hadn't encountered any forks so far and husks were limping into view at the edge of their lights ahead, reflection bouncing off their partially metallic frames. Something was on the other side of this bridge, they just needed to get there.

"How is the back holding up?" Shepard called behind him. The sound confines of the tunnel was replaced by the vast openness of their black chamber which was packed full of seeker swarms. The unrelenting buzz was nearly deafening. Every second several blips could be heard as the biotic shield repelled a dozen or more seekers.

"Keep the pace Shepard, they're closing in on us back here and we need somewhere to go!" Garrus spoke through the comms rather than risking his message being lost in the swarm.

"Agreed, hostile numbers are increasing." Legion confirmed. Shepard looked back and saw more husks pouring out of the tunnel towards them, many tripping over their fallen into the blackness below. But for every one that fell three more charged across the bridge, groping arms flailing to grasp any piece of organic flesh. Kasumi fired around Garrus when the opportunity presented itself while he and Legion kept the husks at bay shoulder to shoulder, assault rifles roaring. Shepard could see their silhouettes flashing every split second in the darkness as the guns illuminated another kill with each blaze.

Ahead Zaeed charged through a crowd of husks, doing his best to shake them off before they fell to either side. He squinted to make something out at the end of the bridge then looked back to Shepard. "We got trouble!"

Before Shepard could ask a burst of blue light was seen out of the darkness ahead. Then another as the ground before the flash erupted, then another and another as the shockwave swept towards the bridge. He shouted through the comms. "Scion! Everyone down!"

The team hugged the ground as the shockwave hit, threatening to throw them off. The biotics knelt, still concentrating on keeping their barriers up. Samara's field faltered for a split second but she quickly reinforced it. Garrus stumbled but Kasumi caught him before he fell, pushing him to the ground as well. Legion knelt and continued firing at the unaffected husks in the back.

"We need to take that thing down before it destroys the bridge!" Shepard shouted to his bubble. "With me, we're taking it out!" Samara stood and kept pace with Zaeed and Shepard who sprinted the last stretch of bridge which had been cleared of husks to the scion.

It flashed in and out of sight as their omni tools moved with their hands but didn't move as they engaged it. It needed several seconds to prepare another charge to fire and was momentarily exhausted. Zaeed fired his assault rifle into its liquid-filled sac structure while Shepard rammed his pistol into its gaping mouth and fired six times.

The scion heaved and shuddered, falling to its knees. Shepard pushed its shoulder-cannon away towards the darkness incase it fired again in its death throes. He looked back panting, trying to see the rest of his team. Their flashlights marked their presence as the one other visible spot in sight. They were still fending off a never ending stream of husks from the tunnel, but were making backward progress. They were almost to the end of the bridge now. It occurred to Shepard that the husks might just keep coming. They didn't have the ammo to keep this up, they needed a way through.

He looked forward while Zaeed readied his sniper rifle and picked off targets that got too close to Garrus and Legion. The ends of the platform they were on were difficult to distinguish but he could make out a general direction to begin heading.

Garrus followed up a burst of fire to one husk with a strike across the head with the butt of his rifle to the one behind it. If they were making progress across the bridge the husks were making progress on them, each one seemingly closer than the last.

Legion fired its geth assault rifle until the battery slowed and died. Without pausing to reload it thrust the weapon forward into the crowd and reached behind it, pulling Jack's shotgun off her back and opening fire with it. With its superior reflexes and strength the geth fired in bursts of two.

"Hey!" she shouted annoyed, looking back. But she held her tongue and continued forward. Can't argue with the people saving your back.

"Alright girls wrap up your fun, Shepard's got a lead out!" Zaeed shouted to the back teams.

Shepard moved forward with Samara into the darkness. The large hexagonal platform they were on connected to others, creating a path through the otherwise empty chamber. When the back teams were holding at the base of the bridge Shepard spoke through the comms to make sure he was heard. "Once we get away from the bridge the husks will start flanking us, we need to move quickly over this open ground so that doesn't happen. Everyone understand?"

"With you Shepard." Miranda said, beads of sweat visible on her brow. Jack and Samara looked no better.

Shepard nodded then moved forward, making sure Samara wasn't going to collapse. Her feet had begun dragging, her posture slipping as she concentrated solely on keeping their barrier up. They didn't have much left in them. Shepard prayed they found the exit soon.

"We're breaking from the bridge, get ready to run!" Garrus said through the comms. Jack and Miranda knelt to gather their strength before the final push. They were ready to hold out as long as they could. A moment passed, one last burst of fire was heard and then… "Go!"

The air was colder as it rushed past their faces, piercing as it swept into their lungs. They ran for minutes, Shepard leading them along the path, careful to steer clear of the dead drop edges. Even in his excellent physical condition he found himself out of breath in this place. He had no idea how the biotics were doing it.

Occasionally he heard weapons fire behind him. A husk that got too close. Several times he thought he heard the buzz of collector wings but realized it was just the throbbing in his ears of the constant wing beats of insects. He looked to Samara. Her eyes were closed and her mouth formed words quietly, reciting mantras to take her mind elsewhere. Miranda and Jack just focused on their feet, doggedly placing one after the other. Oblivious to the fighting going on around them.

Then Shepard saw it, an illuminated path, just ahead of them. The metallic platform met the base's spongy ground again and rose to another large door lit along the sides by dim lights. He called the team's attention to it. "Almost there, just a little bit further!"

"We must reach… The end quickly…" Samara panted, looking to the door before closing her eyes again to focus.

Shepard felt helpless, not being able to do anything to contribute and leaving the exhausted asari to do the heavy lifting.

"Husks are back, watch the rear!" Garrus shouted from behind. Sounds of fire could be heard again. "They're grouping up for a final push!"

Samara pushed into a light run, almost bent double as her shield faltered.

They were within twenty yards of the doors.

Jack called out behind them. Shepard turned to see Kasumi prying a husk off the last biotic whose barrier had fallen. A second later the husk was off and she brought the shield back up, teeth gritted at the effort. Miranda called Kasumi back to her bubble to move forward and get the doors.

Ten yards.

Kasumi passed through the middle bubble and into Samara's, moving between Shepard and Zaeed who had their sniper rifles out and were aiding the last group which was being overwhelmed. Kasumi reached the door console and began typing rapidly, muttering to herself. "It's just like a job, it's just like a job…"

Miranda moved towards Samara's bubble and fell forward on all fours, catching her breath as she let her shield fall. A second later she stood, still breathing heavily, and took aim with her pistol at the husks in the back. She seemed less interested in accuracy this time rather than simply hitting them, delaying them from reaching Garrus and Legion.

Another shockwave sounded off in the distance. Jack didn't have time to register it coming and fell to the side, catching herself and letting the barrier fall again. Miranda moved forward and brought hers back up, though in considerably smaller size than it was before. She shouted to Legion and Garrus to keep moving back but they were too distracted fending off husks. Legion had one husk grappling with its borrowed shotgun and thrust the husk side to side, keeping its fellows from moving around it. Garrus fought with pistol and rifle, also caring more about keeping them at bay than precision.

"Got it! Everyone in, hayiku!" Kasumi shouted through the comm. She slipped inside the doors and stood anxiously by the console on the other side, ready to close when Shepard gave the order.

Samara moved inside and dropped to her knees, leaning against the console beside Kasumi and keeping the barrier up. Her mouth moved feebly as she continued reciting, eyes shut tight.

"Come on! Door's open pull in!" Shepard shouted to Miranda, still a short distance from the door. Despite her determination to hang on her barrier was shrinking considerably. Within seconds it would barely cover herself, let alone Garrus and Legion who stood near its edge. Jack was trying to fend off a husk that was attempting to pull her off to the side, away from the barrier. Shepard grit his teeth and readied his shotgun, then charged forward.

Immediately he felt tugs and pulls as the swarms tried taking him away in different directions. But he kept himself grounded and moving forward, throwing his shoulders to shake numbers of them off at a time. He came to Miranda's bubble and felt the added pressures lift instantly, pushed away by the diminishing bubble.

Shepard ran to the husk pulling at Jack's legs and blew its head into a mess of sparking wires and twisted flesh. Jack got to her feet and threw her barrier over herself and Shepard as Miranda's fell away from them, then extended it to include Garrus and Legion. Shepard's shotgun added the firepower needed to allow the rearguard to breakaway. Creating a small gap between themselves and the husks, they turned tail and ran, Shepard sweeping Miranda over his shoulder in a fluid motion as they made a break for the door.

By the look on Kasumi's face they were being closely followed. Shepard, last in tow, had almost reached the threshold when something snagged his foot. He threw his shoulders forward to put Miranda in Samara's bubble before hitting the ground. His hands flew to his pistol as he rolled and he fired twice into the husk's torso. His aim jerked to two more husks about to fall on him, firing rounds into them as a seeker swarm flew around his body. He felt small tears opening in his face and but he concentrated on bringing the husks down. Without more of his body off the ground the swarms couldn't carry him away.

"Commander!" he heard someone behind him shout. He rolled and tried crawling towards the bubble, towards outstretched hands, but was pulled back several yards by a husk. He kicked it away but now had to fend off the swarms around his face, stinging and tearing wherever they could.

He was being dragged backwards. He looked up to see Garrus out of the bubble, shrugging off the swarm to bring Shepard back. Shepard kicked at the ground, trying to push them towards the doors.

But Garrus was too tall. Too much surface area the swarms could get a grip on. Despite his strength moving towards the doors, the swarms were pulling them in the opposite direction. Shepard felt the weight behind him lift slightly as Garrus became airborne.

Shepard tried pulling him back down but it was his strength against hundreds. He locked forearms with Garrus and held to the ground, then with a great wave of energy the swarms around them blew away. He looked up, startled as Garrus landed roughly on his feet. Somehow Jack had mustered the energy to create a tidal wave of bionic energy and washed away anything that wasn't Shepard and Garrus into the darkness. He could see bits and pieces of husks plastered against the walls.

A deep thrum was heard in the tunnel, growing louder every second. Shepard took that as their queue to move. He and Garrus were barely over the threshold of the door when Kasumi shut it.

They all panted for a minute, catching their breath. The biotics looked as exhausted as Shepard remembered boot camp being. Days without sleep topped by constant physical strain. He looked to them breathlessly, nodding once without words to show his appreciation for their work. He let a hand fall on Garrus' shoulder, giving it a light shake as he let his head back against the wall, letting a low laugh rise in his throat.

No one else joined him, but Shepard didn't care. It was funny to him. How close they'd come to death on so many occasions. Who could do anything but laugh? Garrus shook his head bemusedly, having been used to Shepard's humor for a while now and let his head rest on the back of his armor.

The team caught their breath and looked around the upper chamber they were in. Its width spanned that of the base itself, glimpses of the debris field floating in and out of sight through gaps in the sides where wall was missing.

The door they just came through led out onto a ledge jutting over a floorless expanse. At the edge were docked two platforms overlooking the vast chasm, the far end of the chamber leading to branching catacombs. One of those passages led to their final destination.

"–peat, Commander are you there?" Joker's voice broke through the static created by the seeker swarms.

"We're here, Joker." Shepard responded, throwing a hand towards the platforms to gesture to the team. "What's the status on the Normandy?" He asked as the team moved towards the platforms.

"The crew made it back okay, everyone's making repairs to get us space worthy." Joker responded. "But the Illusive Man wants to speak with you." He finished, tone dropping from hopeful to reserved. "Patching him through now."

Shepard held up his omni tool to display the image of the Illusive Man, pacing in and out of the camera's field of vision before seeing him. "Shepard," he addressed, straightening himself as Shepard joined his team beside the platforms. "EDI has been running an analysis on an anomaly we've found while you've been making your way through the base. It matches the remnants we recovered from the attack on the Citadel two years ago. If EDI's readings are correct, there is a Reaper being built in the core where you are headed."

"Thanks for the warning." Shepard said calmly, nodding. "We'll still get the job done."

"I've no doubt, Commander." The Illusive Man said. "But this new development dictates a change in agenda. Rather than an explosion to wipe out the entire base, we can wipe out all organics in the base and leave the technology intact with a timed electromagnetic pulse."

Shepard stopped by the platform, motioning for his team to standby. Their eyes too were intent on the Illusive Man.

The Illusive Man's mouth came dangerously close to breaking into a smile. "Humanity needs this, Shepard. The technology of how to built Reapers will save untold billions in the war against the Reapers." Shepard looked to him then away at the ground, thinking hard.

"Reapers are a combination of organic and inorganic material." Legion spoke, breaking the momentary silence. "The creation of this organism was likely the fate of many of your colonies."

Comprehension dawned on the rest of the team. "That's why they were abducting so many humans." Garrus explained, "That's why they were processing them."

"I understand your hesitation Shepard but we need to look at this objectively." The Illusive Man addressed Shepard's furrowed brow as the soldier faced away towards a gap in the walls through which the dying sun was casting a baleful glare upon him. "If we _don't_ use this technology all of our people will have died for nothing." Shepard looked at him, eyes illuminated orange by the sun.

"It is too much power." Samara said, face still pale from exhaustion. "Your Illusive Man is the only one who benefits from this, and anyone else he chooses to protect. He does not have the wisdom to wield it."

"Those people are dead – the least we can do is use what they died for to stay alive." Jack responded, looking to the Justicar then back to Shepard for his reaction.

"Commander?" Miranda asked. "The Illusive Man has a point... What are your orders?" her intelligent blue eyes searched his face for a response. He remained silent, eyes still looking past the Illusive Man into space.

"It will give us the edge we need to come out on top." The Illusive Man's display image said, clenching a fist in front of him. "Come on, Shepard. Men like you and me are given the ability to make these decisions because we're the only ones who can."

The base continued its slow rotation, cutting the sun's beam off Shepard and casting them all in shade once again. Shepard was quiet for a moment longer, then his blue eyes focused on the image before him. "Yes. We're the only ones who can. And I'm making the decision that humanity won't use the technology of our enemies who enslave races and exterminate entire galaxies to achieve their ends as a shortcut to reach ours." The Illusive Man's confident expression faltered for a moment before disappearing as Shepard closed his omni tool.

He moved to step past his team towards the platforms when half a dozen more Illusive Man images popped up from their omni tools. "Mr. Massani, Ms. Goto. Your contracts will double in pay if you keep Shepard from detonating the base and hold off until Cerberus reinforcements arrive." He addressed them as if he had never been cut off. "Subject Zero, the Normandy is yours if you do this for humanity. It goes without saying there is a substantial amount of wealth for any of you who meet my goal. Miranda..." he said, turning to face her from her omni tool, "Think of your sister. You have to make these decisions so she doesn't have to; spare her the horrors of the upcoming war. Stop Shepard at all costs."

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**Yes, the final chapter is finished and I will post it in a few days. I like to let things simmer.**


	4. The End Run

**Wow, thank you whoever reviewed last. As lame as it sounds I'd completely forgotten to post the rest of this story. The danger of finishing all at once hehe.**

**Well it's late but here it is, hope it was worth the wait. Have a Happy New Year everyone!**

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Chapter IV: The End Run

The team stared at Shepard, then at each other in a moment of still silence.

Garrus' fingers visibly tightened around his assault rifle. Behind him Legion could be heard thinking loudly behind the lens. Samara's face was placid as ever but her body could be seen tightening under her suit, muscles readying as her eyes scanned every team member for movement.

Miranda didn't look up, similar to Shepard minutes ago she was looking at the ground thinking hard. Kasumi moved subtly behind Zaeed as he scratched his scarred chin thoughtfully, eyeing Shepard with his good eye.

Shepard didn't make a move towards his weapon but mentally prepared to do so. This wasn't how he expected this to end, but he had made his decision. They would destroy this base. If his team turned on him then he would fight his way to the objective, but he would complete this mission whatever the cost. He wished with all his heart they wouldn't. It was hard enough to live while comrades around you died – it was impossible to forgive yourself for killing a friend.

He looked to Miranda who still faced away. "Miranda?" he called to her. She looked up, eyes pained.

"I'm sorry Shepard." She muttered, aggrieved expression rising with her weapon.

"Fuck this, I'm–" Jack began, striding towards Shepard with an arm glowing of intensifying biotic energy, but was interrupted as the floor between her and Shepard exploded as Samara threw what energy she had left into an explosion, throwing the two groups apart as a firefight broke out.

Legion and Garrus climbed onto the nearest platform, turning to help Samara aboard. Shepard pushed himself off the ground and ran towards the platform ignoring SMG shots absorbing into his shields, rolling onto the metal surface and behind one of the raised barricades serving to protect the console in the middle. He looked up from his prone position, seeing Legion by the console.

"Legion can you get this thing moving?" Shepard asked, grabbing his SMG and firing blindly around the side of the barricade.

Legion considered him for another moment then turned to the console, fingers typing rapidly. The platform began to move.

Shepard leaned around the cover to see Kasumi moving to the other platform's control console, Jack climbing to her feet and Miranda standing at the edge of their platform. Zaeed was kneeling by the control console, using the barricade as a stabilizer – Shepard swung himself back behind cover as three sniper rounds rippled the air where he had just been.

Shepard ran a hand through his short hair, trying to process the past ten seconds. He had recruited every member of his team, they had all saved each other's lives on more than one occasion. But this was it – their allegiance to him only went as far as his pocket could stretch or his morals extended. He regretted it had to be this way, but he readied his sniper rifle with a set jaw and rolled back around the cover.

"Which path are we supposed to take?" Garrus shouted, kneeling on the other side of cover. He had his sniper out too but was looking backwards, towards the multiple passages approaching quickly.

"I left my coin in my cabin," Shepard said before holding his breath to squeeze a shot off at Kasumi operating the other platform which had just lifted off and was moving in their direction. She ducked down, leaving only fleeting fingers visible as they moved around the console. "You guess!"

"Legion take that one!" Garrus said, pointing to the darkest tunnel, "No not that one – that one!" The platform began a wide turn to make for an upcoming passage.

"Sniper fire, get down!" Shepard shouted as he moved back behind the barricade, pulling Legion's leg.

"Productivity is suffering." Legion stated unperturbed as a bullet whizzed past its head, hands a flurry over the console.

The platforms were picking up speed now, Shepard was grateful for their head start. As they entered the dark tunnel they were cast in shadows again. They could make out shapes but details were obscured as the platform whizzed around twists and turns, cold air rushing past them.

Though their own platform's gentle hum made it difficult to hear if any others were incoming there was no sign of the platform behind them. Shepard's eyes rested on his allies. Without hesitation they had aligned themselves with him. They agreed with him, that this war could be won without sacrificing what they stood for. They were loyal and would follow him through hell and back. He would never forget those who stood with him this day, the defining moment for humanity. It was through the effort of all races that they would triumph over their foe, not just the strength of one.

He squinted in the dimness to discern what lay ahead when a familiar thrum met his ears. Not collector wings but… "Samara! Shield!" he shouted, moving closer to the center of the platform where Samara kneeled against the barricade. She stood, taking a deep breath before closing her eyes and throwing up another biotic barrier just as the first swarm of seekers repelled off of them.

"Legion find the fastest way through this, Samara can't keep this up long!" Shepard said loudly, eyes trying to pick up signs of light past the clouds of machine insects.

A glimpse of flashes could be seen on their left and Shepard stared hard to make it out. Something in a parallel passage that could be seen through occasional breaks in the walls. Sounds of muffled gunfire could be heard over the noise of humming engine and thrumming wings.

Then they rounded a corner and found themselves in a massive brightly lit hall. Huge portions of the outer walls were missing allowing the dying sun to fill the entire chamber with orange light. The sounds of gunfire intensified in the empty space around them and they looked back to see another platform emerging from the wall their tunnel had just emptied from.

A biotic bubble protected the inhabitants who were besieged by collectors, flying from the tunnel behind them like angry bees. Seeker swarms choked the air around the biotic bubble, waiting for it to fall.

"Keep us moving Legion, it looks like there are more tunnels at the end of this one." Shepard ordered, crouching behind the barricade and looking through the scope of his sniper rifle. Jack was keeping the shield up around the other platform with one hand and firing her pistol with the other.

His finger tensed around the trigger, lining up the shot. He squeezed.

A collector that just moved in front of Jack went rigid as a sniper round lodged in its spine before slumping forward. Shepard cursed as he expelled the shell and reloaded, lining up another shot, but this time Jack saw him and threw her free hand over the console, causing it to rise several meters and cast most of its riders out of view.

"How much further to the core?" Shepard asked, not taking his eye from the scope.

"Based on initial scans of base design, the next passage will lead directly to the core room." Legion responded, typing a series of commands into the console and kneeling beside Shepard, removing its long rifle from its back.

The seeker swarms retreated back to their dark tunnels, refusing to chase after the platforms which easily outstripped them.

The platform accelerated, speeding towards the opposite side of the chamber as they fought off collectors that had begun noticing them. Legion downed one after another before they reached the platform, causing their bodies to drop like black flies into the endless dark below.

Shepard ran out to meet one that reached their platform, throwing his elbow into its face before it could ready its weapon. As it stumbled he pushed his shotgun forward past its barriers to nuzzle its skin, and blew out its stomach point blank.

Samara stood and threw a ball of biotic energy at an oncoming collector trying to land on their platform, causing it to lose its balance in midair and fall clumsily halfway on. It clawed at the smooth surface trying to get a grip but it continued sliding backwards before slipping from view. Another landed nearby and Samara stood, pushing her arms forward as she stepped towards it. It stumbled back as an invisible wall pushed it closer and closer to the edge trying to brace itself, before it too disappeared over the side.

The sound of an Incisor barked in the distance and Samara's abdomen exploded before her.

Nearby Shepard dashed to pull the swooning Justicar back before she fell forward. He dragged her to the center barricade, knowing there was little they could do. Her wounds were close-knit, creating an area almost a foot across in diameter of destroyed flesh. She was conscious but only because her mind hadn't caught up to her body. She opened her mouth once to try to breath but her diaphragm had been torn apart. She saw this and stopped trying, calmly taking a weakening grip on Shepard's hand.

"Right decision… Shepard." She managed, eyes unafraid. She coughed, insides visibly contorting with the action as blue blood spilled from her mouth. "Live by it."

He could see her body shudder as it told her to attempt to draw the breath she refused. The shudders became more violent, shaking her insides. Shepard met her blue eyes with his; he would be with her until the end. Her expression wasn't one of apathy but serenity. She had no fear, no unknown.

Her eyes fixed on Shepard as gunfire flew overhead. He met her gaze with solemn gratitude. Then her irises retracted, pupils dilated, and body relaxed in its slumped position. He rested her hand on her chest, drew his SMG and fired as more collectors landed near him.

Shepard threw his shoulder into a collector that just landed. Rising over its bent double form he placed his hands on one of its wings and with a swift jerk broke it at the joint before kneeing the collector off the side.

"Legion!" he shouted, taking another collector from the side as it grappled with Garrus over his rifle, kicking its knee in and forcing it to turn away or break its leg. He swung his pistol around and put a bullet in the back of its head. "Take us away from the darker tunnel ahead – if we catch any swarms we're dead!"

Legion was standing behind the console, fending off a collector whose weapon had been overloaded. With machine efficiency it thrust the alien back just far enough to turn the shotgun into the collector's chest and fired as it dropped its weight back in. A small spurt of orange spray decorated the geth's metallic chassis before running down; the collector dropped to its knees, feebly clawing at its wound then fell back as its milky eyes dimmed. Legion turned and started retyping commands into the console, correcting their current path which led them directly into the darkest tunnel.

More platforms could be seen now, some emerging from the far end of the room where they came from, some rising from the darkness below, all laden with enemies. A shadow cast over Shepard and Garrus and they looked up to see another platform keeping pace with them. A moment later shapes could be seen leaping off of it – husks, trying to board their hover craft.

"Husks! Legion get us out of here!" Shepard ordered as he engaged three that'd just dropped on the edge before they had a chance to get their balance.

"Additional control over platform's mobility requires complete application. Proceed?" Legion confirmed, lining up a shot with its sniper and putting a bullet in a docking platform's control console. Instantly the humming stopped and before the first husk could step over the remaining gap the platform dropped out of sight.

"Do it! We'll keep them off you." Shepard said, drawing in towards the center with Garrus to protect Legion as it began typing again. Within moments the platform began moving ahead of the others, throwing itself left and right before boarders made it on.

Another loud humming met their ears and they turned to see the other group's platform flying overhead. They were too busy to notice Shepard's group however, having several collectors and husks to deal with. They disappeared into one of the tunnels, biotic shield going up just before they disappeared from sight seconds before Shepard's platform took another path.

"EDI, does the Reaper know we're coming?" Shepard asked, bringing up his omni tool as they entered another tunnel, though this one was much better lit. Legion took the turns quickly, lens estimating speed versus platform's mass and bringing them within feet of perpendicular walls before skimming alongside them.

"I have no way of knowing if it is conscious, though based on scans of development I would recommend extreme caution." EDI's voice said through their comms.

"It's conscious." Shepard muttered, checking one weapon before holstering it and bringing out the next.

"Any idea what we'll find, Commander?" Garrus asked, dialing his sniper lens a fraction of an inch and checking the sights again.

Shepard's mouth twisted into a grim grin. He stood at the edge of the platform, readying his sniper rifle as the light dimmed and the platform began to plummet. He cocked the weapon, spending an empty casing. "Hell, boys." The tunnel opened suddenly again and they found themselves near the top of a tall chamber. They descended rapidly, noting the multiple firefights occurring below. "And we're dropping in hot."

This chamber was darker than the last, lit only by white lights along the walls similar to a construction site and from an orange glow emitting from the floor which was lined with countless tubes and coils running between rowed structures that must have been power generators. Several meters above these floated the platforms which had begun connecting around the raised middle of the room where a single console stood. That had to be it – where they needed to end this.

Legion knelt by the edge of their lowering platform, watching the combat.

Below the other group had been broken down into two groups being pushed apart as collectors dropped between them. Zaeed and Kasumi took turns keeping constant fire on the oncoming hordes of husks, dropping to reload as the other stood to fire.

One collector rounded the corner where the other two knelt when Jack stood, clothes-lining the collector with a biotic force equivalent to a freight train, shattering every vertebra in its spine. It flapped once like an apron before hitting the ground hard and lying motionless. Another collector tried running past the first but Jack brought her arm around in a swift hook, slamming the back of the collector's head five feet away with biotic energy and planting its face into the ground. She drew her pistol and pumped shots into the body until it stopped moving before turning to face the others.

Miranda rose and brought her arms up as another collector came around the other side of cover, concentrating all of her power on levitating the collector higher and higher into the air. Then with a grunt she threw it sideways into an oncoming cluster, bowling several over as it slammed into them.

"Zaeed, grenade!" Kasumi yelled, ducking back around cover as she spent her last clip. Her breathing was off circuit, she could feel herself panicking and couldn't stop it. She brought up her omni tool and typed rapidly.

"Don't you dare!" Zaeed shouted at her, throwing a dirty look her way before continuing to fire into the oncoming husks.

A blue wave of static swept around her body causing it to ripple once, and then disappear. Her shadow against the wall faded and she let out a silent sigh of relief. A second later a fountain of blood sprayed out of thin air onto the barricade she knelt beside.

She gasped shallowly and instantly reappeared, wide hole at the base of her neck revealing a wound that stretched down into her abdomen.

Above them Legion spent a casing and reloaded.

"Sonnava bitch." Zaeed cursed as he swiftly reached down and retrieved her SMG, popping in a fresh clip and firing it simultaneously with his assault rifle, moving to the side where vertical cover protected him from sniper fire.

A loud screech like a thousand pieces of chalk against a blackboard met their ears almost causing them to drop their weapons. The collectors were unaffected, advancing on them all implacably.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Garrus asked through the comm, stretching his jaw to try to rid the echoes from his ears.

"One guess." Shepard answered as the air vibrated with malevolent energy. He looked up, catching movement in a dark crevice where no light shone. It was massive. He picked out two fiery orbs staring down of them all before light glinted off dark metal as it emerged.

The Reaper scurried over the ceiling. Against the wall it was easy to make out the silhouette – a human cut off at the torso, leaving a long scorpion-like tail for a spine. It scrambled overhead, head turning backwards on its body to continue facing them. It screamed again, fiery orbs unblinking.

It opened its mouth and revealed a vortex of spinning energy accumulating larger and larger. Shepard didn't know what this was but he didn't like it. "Spread out!" he ordered, moving to the edge of their platform.

Sure enough when the ball reached capacity it released pillars of fire down on the units below, bypassing Shepard's platform entirely and obliterating ranks of collectors and husks as Miranda and Jack found cover. All attention was on the Reaper now and Shepard wondered how much time they had before reaching the bottom.

Not enough, he realized as the Reaper aligned itself directly overhead, scanned the area below to confirm a target, and let go.

"Jump ship, move – move!" Shepard shouted to his team, backing up a few feet before sprinting into a leap off the platform. He couldn't see where Garrus or Legion went but he heard the sound of shearing metal and immense mass crashing into the floor behind him.

He fell twenty feet and hit the ground, buckling his knees and rolling. Standing quickly he took in the new layout of the battlefield.

Shepard was two platforms away from the center where the primary control console stood. Past that Miranda and Jack were dodging around cover picking off collectors. To their right the Reaper had landed, destroying several platforms with its impact and cutting power to the lights around them.

He spotted Garrus clambering back onto the platforms from the floor below, Legion helping him up. They were near where Zaeed had disappeared though the mercenary was no where to be seen.

Shots darted past his face in the universal sign that the enemy had noticed him and he ducked behind the barricade formulating a plan. He just needed a few seconds beside the console to plant a charge and blow the system, sending the local generators haywire. He didn't know what would happen when they fell off the grid – some would lose their capacity and overcharge themselves, others might short and send power all over the place. What he did know was that the base would either fry from the inside out or be sucked into the dying sun.

He stood, moving behind a vertical barricade and put his team on the comm. "We've gotta get this done before the Reaper kills every person in this room. Do what you can to keep the others off my back but most importantly: Stay alive. If I die up there one of you needs to finish arming the charge."

"Got it Shepard, we'll keep them off you," Garrus answered, "Move on my mark... Go! You've got a break Shepard, Legion and I will keep 'em distracted."

Shepard spun around the barricade and sprinted one platform closer towards the console. In his peripherals he saw Legion and Garrus leapfrogging cover. One would move up then watch for the other as they moved to the next piece of available cover. Beyond them the Reaper was picking itself up from the ground, sweeping tail flailing dangerously close to the platform-islands.

"_I know you feel this."_

Shepard let his body drop as he sprinted past another piece of vertical terrain causing the fireball to miss his head by inches. He could feel its warmth on his scalp as he scrambled back around the cover; Harbinger less than a yard away coming towards him.

"I do _not_ have time for this!" Shepard yelled drawing his shotgun. A platform away he saw Miranda break free of a crowd of husks, spot him and raise her SMG. He snarled as he pumped two shots in her direction, knowing it would be like shooting an ant with his eyes closed if he managed to hit at this distance. She knew it too, not even flinching as the closest slug passed several feet over her head.

He raised the broadside of his shotgun over his torso as her first volley unleashed, hearing several shots pinging off the side as others absorbed into his shields. He calculated her Locust's ammo usage and knew she had to reload right about...–

"_You cannot resist."_

Shepard swung round to see Harbinger coming around the corner. He automatically raised his shotgun and felt the trigger pull effortlessly back, clicking twice. "Shit."

Harbinger raised a flame-caressed hand which Shepard knocked away, using the shotgun as a means to fend the fiery claws off. He lunged forward, bringing the butt of the weapon down with his elbow to meet the collector's face.

If its head even budged Shepard didn't see it. It grabbed his weapon and tore it from his grasp with a swift jerk, dropping it to the ground as it reached for his face with the other. Shepard moved to the side, bringing his forearms around either side the extended limb and snapping them in an elbow break.

"_This is pointless."_ Harbinger rasped as it retracted its rock-steady arm, firm grip now around Shepard's forearm. Shepard brought his leg up to keep the other claw from reaching his face – he could already feel the heat building up in his forearm through his armor and he knew his bare flesh wouldn't last long against Harbinger's embrace.

He grimaced at the expressionless face staring back at him, glowing milky white eyes vacant. Even against his leg muscles Harbinger's arm was succeeding, tirelessly pressing in.

Shepard didn't know if this would do anything but he was out of ideas. He pulled his free arm back, ceasing to try to wrest his trapped arm away from Harbinger's body, lined up the hook, and sank his fist into one of the collector's eyes.

As tech-oriented as collectors seemed to be they did still have blood, and they did still have nerves. Even Harbinger's mental lash couldn't stop the collector's body from reeling in agony, clear fluid seeping out around Shepard's knuckles as he reached in as far as the socket would allow, tearing at anything he could grasp. He was thankful he couldn't feel anything that happened on the outside of the gloves, though he could still feel pressures and small pops as he ripped through the surrounding area.

The arm holding him released, instead grabbing his forearm and pulling it out of its eye socket. Suddenly the other arm palmed his chest, claws firmly locked into niches in his armor, and the next thing Shepard knew he was being lifted off his feet. Harbinger tossed him away like a rag doll and Shepard hit the ground rolling on his side.

He gasped, trying to get the wind that'd been knocked out of his lungs and stood uneasily, trying to get oriented. He saw the console on the next platform and he stumbled towards it, throwing a look over his shoulder to make sure Harbinger wasn't directly behind him.

"Nice wings, Capt'n, when'd you learn to fly like that?"

Shepard spun in time to see Jack swing at him from three yards away. He threw himself to the side and heard the barricade behind him cleave in two. He landed weapon drawn and aimed.

Most people tended to stop at that point but Jack continued to stride forward. She stomped on the ground and Shepard rolled as a mini-shockwave went through the ground by him. He stood, making it clear his weapon was operational and sighted but she still moved towards him.

Shepard scanned around them, looking for Miranda.

"Looking for the Bitch?" Jack asked, throwing a thumb over a shoulder behind her. "She got a little weighed down with those zombies. I thought she could handle it." She straightened herself and imitated a posh accent, "I say, there are simply too many!" she dropped to her usual slouch. "And then they ripped her apart. That was messy." She pointed at Shepard, "Gotta keep your eyes on the prize – or you end up dead."

He lifted the pistol, aiming it directly at her head.

She sneered, arms open. "C'mon Cap, we both know you don't got it in you."

Shepard's eyes narrowed. _It was impossible to forgive yourself for killing a friend…_

"Unfortunately for us both, Jack..." He cocked his pistol.

"You're wrong."

He didn't wait to see the look of surprise or betrayal – the look of fatal miscalculation so many had when they died. There were two kinds of people: cowards, who died with tears in their eyes and fear in their hearts; and those with delusions of grandeur who have only known life. Until that moment comes when they realize that they too are merely mortal and their time has come much sooner than they could have ever imagined. Shepard hated that look. The look a god has when they realize they are nothing.

He didn't wait to see that look. He pulled the trigger.

Her body dropped as he walked towards the console, checking the situation of the Reaper. It seemed to be having difficulty differentiating friend from foe, likely running on the most basic of programming. It swept up large swathes of husks in a clawed hand, shearing them apart with a simple squeeze before returning to the battle like a giant robot scorpion.

"Shepard I took out a Harbinger so be on the look out. Another one may be popping up any minute." Garrus said over the comm, voice broken up by firing in the background.

Shepard neared the console, "I read you Garrus, I'm at the control panel now. Let's get this done quick before the bastard has a chance to come back."

He scanned his surroundings once more focusing on the console. He wasn't an expert when it came to alien tech but he managed the basic commands and pulled up a power node menu. He informed it that it was time for routine maintenance and the ground to his right steamed as a cylinder slowly rose from the platform. It stopped waist height and he knelt beside it, finding the best place to plant the charge.

A shadow was cast over the complex circuitry and Shepard whipped his pistol around. However before he could get a target a fist had descended into his face and he stumbled away, falling to the ground.

"I always wondered, Shepard," Zaeed spoke, forehead bleeding from where a shot had skimmed his skull, "What made you so goddamn special. Why the Illusive Man didn't just hire me outright to do the job you were brought back to life for." Shepard pushed himself off the ground, shaking his head to clear it of the grey specks. "I guess we're just gonna have to find out the old fashion way, eh?" he said, drawing a long knife from his calf armor.

"What's up Zaeed…?" Shepard said, catching his breath and climbing to one knee, "Jealous I get the skills and the looks?"

"Oh a few seconds with my old friend here's gonna change one of those real quick." Zaeed chuckled, brandishing his knife. He closed the gap between them and kicked his boot at Shepard's face.

Shepard caught it and punched the back of Zaeed's knee, forcing him to turn away. Shepard stood quickly, placing one arm under the his opponent's chin and putting him in a blood choke to cut off circulation to the brain, tucking in and closing any gap between their bodies. But Zaeed was a trained mercenary, after fruitlessly trying to yank Shepard's arm away he flipped the blade in his hand and stabbed behind him. He overshot and Shepard heard his shielding unit spark – looking over his shoulder he saw Zaeed pull the knife from the armored compartment. His shields dissipated in an instant and Zaeed threw his arm behind him again.

Shepard grunted as he felt it slide between the fibers of his side armor, slipping between his ribs. He exhaled, keeping his body tight to minimize the damage, trying to calculate how much longer Zaeed had before he blacked out. But the mercenary continued to struggle, wrenching the knife out and plunging it in again. Shepard's lungs begged for breath but he held it in. Finally Zaeed began turning the blade, muscle pinching between his ribs which were being forced apart, and Shepard knew he had to disengage or he wouldn't survive long enough to arm the charge.

He stepped away and the mercenary fell forward coughing. Shepard held an arm to his side suppressing a pained shudder as he drew his pistol. He moved closer to finish Zaeed inside his shields but the mercenary rolled over suddenly, SMG drawn.

They fired simultaneously, Shepard's bullet deflecting off the shields as round after round of Locust fire punched into his armor up his chest, final shot grazing the side of his neck.

Shepard stumbled back, even through armor bullets felt like being rapidly beaten with a sledgehammer. Minus the physical damage sometimes having the bullets go through you was easier to take. He dove to the side around cover to avoid the remainder of the clip as Zaeed rose to his feet.

Still trying to catch his breath Shepard put his back to the barricade, putting a hand over his neck which was bleeding profusely. As his adrenaline dipped he suddenly felt very lightheaded. The entire chamber swam before him as his oxygen deprived brain began aching. _'Thas no… good…'_

He fumbled for his own SMG and clumsily leveled it on the barricade over his head, firing its entire clip in a direction he hoped Zaeed's face was occupying. He placed his other hand over the side of the weapon as heat built up, catching the red hot ejecting clip.

Concentrating hard he brought the glowing clip in his hand into focus. He couldn't afford to screw this up. He tilted his head and felt for the wound with his fingers. He found it. Even with grazes head and neck wounds bled entirely too much. The tissue around the wound had been torn apart, shot running almost the length of his neck. A centimeter deeper and Shepard doubted this would work.

Shepard took several stabilizing breaths, holding the last one in as he brought his hand holding the overheated thermal clip to his neck.

A method Shepard had learned in interrogation training was to turn pain into anger, hatred for your enemy. It took your mind off the pain and further fueled your desire to hurt the other side. But methods had their limits – and having a red hot iron pressed against an open wound brought that method to its threshold instantly. It took every ounce of willpower for the writhing Shepard to keep his hand there despite every brain impulse telling him to take it away. Not until… There it was: the smell of smoldering skin.

He shuddered as he took the metal away, ignoring the horrible smell that accompanied it. That would do for a field repair, if he managed to get out of here alive he might seek some corrective surgery to repair all the nerves he'd just burnt out.

"You done bleeding out yet Shepard? I want to get paid for the trouble you're giving me." Zaeed called from somewhere beyond cover. By the sounds of stress in his voice he might've been hit from Shepard's last volley.

"What happens when you get greedy Zaeed. You saw what happened to Kasumi." Shepard answered weakly, moving to a crouched position and sliding his way along the cover towards the console. At the edge he could see the power node still on standby where he'd left it. If he could just get something as simple as a grenade in there it'd send the place into chaos.

"Shepard the Reaper's going berserk and we're running out of enemies, get that charge planted!" Garrus shouted over the comms. Shepard looked several platforms ahead and saw the Reaper sweep up the crowd of collector's surrounding Legion. Its fingers snapped like scissors cutting them all in half until it reached Legion's metal body. It brought the geth to its large orange eyes, examining the struggling machine. The Reaper brought its other hand to Legion's torso and pulled the geth in half.

The Reaper tossed the two pieces aside and dropped its gaze, eyes meeting with Shepard's. It screeched and then began crawling towards him. Shepard turned and found the most densely populated piece of circuitry board and slapped the charge on it.

"No!" he heard Zaeed's hoarse yell from the other side of the platform. He poked his head out and let off a few bursts of SMG to keep the mercenary down. Another screech came from behind him and he looked back, then up.

The Reaper raised itself and was coming down on their platform. Shepard threw his body forward and heard a monstrous arm slam into the platform surface. He looked back, seeing the power node forced back into its tube.

He waited. Did it work? Nothing was happening.

A few lights stuttered on the walls. Then he began hearing a few of the generators below churning faster and faster. One blew suddenly, sending visible charges of power through the cables that connected to other generators. Then several more exploded, sending sparks everywhere. The Reaper looked around, trying to take in the chain reaction.

Then a high pitched ringing pierced the air. It grew louder and louder, the source coming from under the central platform. Shepard pushed himself off the ground and ran flat out in the opposite direction. He threw himself over a barricade and made himself as small as he could against the base of it, hearing the sound reach a crescendo.

The central platform blew, orange flames reaching almost half way up the chamber. Long shadows were cast around the room away from the explosion as Shepard could see the shadow made by the Reaper on the wall penetrated and then enveloped by light.

Shepard put a hand to his comm, trying to catch Garrus on the comms but their communication had been fried.

He stood, taking in the ruins of the room as the exploding generators produced enough light to see by. "Garrus!" he called, stumbling around. A shock of blue armor caught his eye under a nearby piece of rubble. He rushed to it, shouldering the debris and trying to lift the debris from his friend when he heard a gun click. He looked up and saw Miranda, uniform torn in areas and hair matted with various bloods, aiming her Locust at him.

"Do you have any idea what you just cost humanity, Shepard?" she asked him, voice a mixture of anger and exhaustion. "The tech we could have discovered from this place."

"I know exactly what it would have cost us." Shepard answered, dropping the debris and standing to face her fully. His life was in her hands now, he knew he couldn't draw a weapon fast enough before she emptied an entire clip into his unshielded body. "I stand by my decision. You lost, Miranda. You chose a different path and you lost. Now its time we put that behind us and fight this war that's just beginning."

"This isn't about me, Shepard. This is about humanity–" Miranda said, eyes narrowing.

"Not using our own dead as a _weapon_? Miranda how many more humans were needed to finish this Reaper? What were we going to do with the tech, build our own Reaper army?" Shepard asked, throwing his arm towards the dead Reaper for emphasis. "It's time you stop thinking like one of them and realize that you're a human being, with feelings and emotions – not a machine."

Her eyes widened as she looked into his eyes, gun still raised.

"What's it gonna be Miranda. You've got the gun." He asked, lowering his arms. "We can all die here or live to fight the real war that's coming. The one that matters."

Her finger tensed around the trigger. Then she shook her head, lowering her weapon. "When we return to the Normandy I'll follow your orders."

"You're going back to Cerberus, I can't have you disobeying my command again." Shepard stated simply, going back to Garrus trapped under a large piece of metal and kneeling to lift it off. "If we had to die I would prefer it to be in a war against the Reapers than all of us dying here pointlessly." He grunted as he lifted the piece off Garrus.

Garrus coughed, looking tired. "We do it?" he asked meekly, green eyes focusing on Shepard. Before Shepard could answer the platform they were on suddenly lifted off, debris haphazardly sliding off the sides and making it rock dangerously.

"The systems are going haywire, no telling where this thing is going!" Shepard shouted to make himself heard over the sounds of metal clanging and sliding echoing all around the room.

"That's exactly what I say when I follow you anywhere." Garrus chuckled, holding his side as he stood warily, holding onto the nearby console for support. The screen was flashing alien symbols and binary, a jumble even their tech experts wouldn't have been able to make sense of. Shepard just hoped the Normandy was operational and could find their location, there was no way they were getting out of here without help.

Their platform suddenly lifted at a greater speed, heading straight for the ceiling.

"Uhh, Shepard?" Garrus asked uncertainly, looking between the rapidly encroaching roof and his commander.

"Wait for it..." Shepard reassured him calmly. They continued to speed up, not showing signs of changing course.

Garrus waited another moment. "Commander?"

"Not yet." Shepard answered, waiting for the platform to alter direction and take them to the tunnels they'd entered on their left.

"Commander!" Miranda exclaimed, grabbing his arm and moving towards the platform's edge.

"Okay yeah it's not changing. Jump – that one there!" Shepard said, grabbing the turian and falling almost forty feet to the next platform.

He hit the ground with Miranda and rolled, Garrus landed and absorbed the shock in his large knees.

"This one's heading for a tunnel, maybe it can take us back!" Garrus said. They caught the buzzing sound of wings as they entered the dark passage and drew their weapons. Shepard noticed Garrus had Legion's Widow Rifle. Garrus saw his look and nodded. "For Legion." The platform followed the tunnel's turns roughly, only correcting its course once it'd made firm contact with the opposing walls. Suddenly after a sharp turn a swarm of collectors flew past, a few reacting in time to land on the platform before it sped past.

Garrus dropped one before it'd raised its weapon, powerful sniper rifle punching through its barriers with ease.

Shepard tried the comms but to no avail. Whatever happened they had to keep fighting and trust that his team would save them if they were able.

"We're coming up on the passage-chamber we came from!" Miranda shouted over gunfire, raising a collector with biotics high enough to hit an outcrop from the tunnel wall and sending it spinning behind them.

"If we're getting a rescue that'd be the place to do it." Shepard said, dropping a collector after it spent its clip. The tunnel shook suddenly as an explosion from the deeper parts of the base rocked the foundations.

They entered the brightly lit chamber again at high speeds, platform spinning slightly as it came off the tunnel at an angle.

"Shepard! It's the shuttle!" Garrus shouted from the far side of the platform. Beyond one of the great gaps in the chamber's wall the Normandy could be seen waiting. Quickly flying to meet them was the shuttle which could easily fit between the cracks in the walls.

The buzz of wings returned and Shepard moved to a covering fire position, gesturing for Miranda to get behind him and Garrus. The collectors landed and he exchanged fire with them as the shuttle drifted away, not affording any stray shots damaging their only way out.

They were half way across the room now and needed to get off the base before it blew. Shepard looked back to the dark shuttle windows, motioning them to come closer when their part of the rotating platform came around again. He held out his pistol to Miranda and swapped her SMG. Popping a fresh clip into his own Tempest he broke cover, submachine guns blazing.

The collectors went down and he spared a quick glance to see Garrus leap the short gap between the platform and open shuttle doors, almost overshooting due to the platform's rotation. As the shuttle pulled away again Garrus took a position inside, leaning against the wall to stabilize his long rifle.

Explosions ran alongside a fuel line in the chamber's inner walls, showering them with small rocks and more rubble.

Shepard reached around the corner of cover to empty his Tempest's clip into the collector's shields, then brought the Locust around to finish them off.

"C'mon let's go!" Garrus shouted. Miranda leapt over the gap and into the shuttle, turning once there and firing both pistols into the swarm of incoming collectors.

Shepard saw them coming and dropped his weapons, sprinting for the edge of the platform. Shots zipped past his body, he felt the air ripple beside his face where a shot had been a hair's breadth away from hitting him. He was feet from making the jump when he sensed something coming down from above. Looking up he saw a platform speeding ahead and Zaeed dropping down on him.

He landed on Shepard and the two tumbled, rolling off the edge.

"Shit!" Garrus pounded the cabin door to the cockpit, "Go down! Shepard dropped, go down!"

Shepard elbowed Zaeed's face several times while they fell, managing to turn himself on top as another platform flew under them. Zaeed's shields broke the fall, shorting as he landed on his back and Shepard rolled off.

"It's over Zaeed, you can't get it back!" Shepard explained breathlessly.

Zaeed finally coughed, restoring breath to his lungs. "This… isn't over – Shepard. This is just beginning." He climbed to his feet. "It's not about humanity, it's about you," he pointed, then thumbed to himself, "and me. And we're not going anywhere till it's finished."

Shepard shook his head, he was about to tell him how this was pointless but Zaeed lowered his shoulder and charged. He moved to the side but the mercenary spun last second, colliding with Shepard.

Zaeed landed on top but was thrown off as Shepard rolled with the momentum. Seeing Shepard reach for his pistol Zaeed kicked out, connecting his boot to his opponent's head and almost knocking him out.

Shepard scrambled over to Zaeed before he could climb to his feet, placing his hands around the man's thick neck – thumbs pressing in on his airway. Zaeed punched the wound on Shepard's neck and ruptured the cauterization, causing blood to flow freely again.

The platform hit the chamber wall just as explosions ran alongside them. Zaeed used the momentary distraction to buck his hips and throw Shepard off, drawing his knife and rolling over onto him.

His hands on Zaeed's wrist, Shepard kept the knife from inching any closer to his body. Zaeed adjusted himself higher, putting more weight behind the blade. The knife dipped dangerously close to Shepard's Adam's apple as his strength waned against the added mass.

Just then the wall over Shepard's head exploded. Close to the ground Shepard was protected but Zaeed caught the full blast of it. Momentarily stunned he fell backwards, Shepard taking control of the knife. But before he could do anything the wall behind him exploded again, throwing them away as a large piece of debris landed on the platform.

The platform began to dip with the excess weight and Shepard stood, seeing the shuttle lowering to meet them. He looked back and saw Zaeed trapped under the massive slab of wall, head bleeding from multiple shrapnel lacerations. He caught Zaeed's eye and the man chuckled.

"That was it…" Zaeed coughed, blood dribbling from his mouth. "_That_… was the end."

Shepard dropped the knife, knowing it was over. Shaking his head he brought a hand to his neck trying to stem the blood flow. Adrenaline was wearing off again. He widened his eyes, things in the distance were growing blurrier… darker…

"Shepard!"

He turned slowly. The shuttle was close to the platform's edge. He needed to get there. The doors were open, hands outstretched to greet him. He couldn't see their faces. Too blurry. Too dark.

"Let's move Shepard, you've got a train to catch!"

He turned and saw Jacob patting his shoulder, white teeth flashing.

"…Jacob?" he muttered, shaking his head to clear the delirium. He was still moving forward, feet trudging on. He looked back and saw Grunt, hands on his back and putting his full weight into Shepard to make him go.

"C'mon Shepard, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

"I am going, Grunt. I'm…" He looked down; the feet under his body were drenched in blood. He took his hand away and couldn't see the black of his gloves for the crimson. "…Going."

"You've had your share of sin, Shepard." Thane said from his other side, placing a hand on his shoulder gently. "But you've had more than your share of the galaxy's burden. I'll be interested to see where you go next."

"Go… Yeah, I go." Shepard nodded, looking ahead. The large white cloud before him hovered closer, faceless figures reaching for him. "I'm… going… Where am I going?"

"Where we all go, Shepard." The air around him whispered, converging before him and giving form to Samara. "Home." She smiled at him, bringing a hand to his face and wiping away a smear of blood. "Come, she's waiting."

Shepard frowned at her, trying to understand. All he could think about was placing one foot in front of the other. He stumbled before being caught by Thane and Jacob on either side of him. Helping him to his feet they guided his next few steps before moving away.

He looked down, seeing nothing but blackness. Then he looked ahead, seeing the white clouds, the hands, the voices… It was peaceful.

It was difficult but he managed to turn. He had to see them again. His brain was too fuzzy to get a good grasp on everything. He looked over them all watching him. Samara smiled. Grunt pounded his chest. Thane bowed his head. Jacob saluted.

A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked over to see Ashley Williams standing beside him, hair in its usual bun, white armor luminescent. "It's time to go, Skipper." She grinned at him. "You ready to head up?"

"I… No?" Shepard muttered, trying hard to keep his eyes open now.

She took her hand away, gloves untouched by his blood. "Too bad, time for you to get outta here."

"Wait… Ash. You're not…" he whispered, unable to project his voice any louder.

"No…" she whispered in return, smiling as she leaned in, "And neither are you." She gently pushed him backwards.

Lack of blood caused loss of control of extremities and Shepard's knees buckled. He slowly fell back, arms outstretched, into the cloud.

Warm hands surrounded him, caressed him. He felt himself rising up higher, higher, gaining speed. Shepard began losing feeling throughout his body as he ascended.

Then they broke the darkness and Shepard saw only a bright light consuming his vision before it all turned to white.


End file.
